A World Apart
by curlysara26
Summary: While babysitting her little sister, Jasmine Collins is sucked through the tv, and into the world of the Power Rangers. Will she ever be able to get home, and just what is Lothor's plan? COMPLETED!
1. Thunderstorm

A World Apart  
  
Prologue  
  
Rain pounded against the glass windowpanes, and lightening split the sky. Jasmine Collins looked up from the book she was reading. A cozy fire burned in the living room's large stone fireplace, and armotherapy candles gave off an enchanting lavender scent. The house was peaceful.  
A scream split the serenity in half. Jasmine sat up startled. She sprinted to the back of the house, up the stairs, and to her sister's room.  
  
"Kirstin what's wrong?" Jasmine asked as she swung open the door. The nine-year-old girl sat comfortably on her bed, a book open in front of her. Her attention, however, was not on the book, but on the television that sat on top of her dresser. Six people in different colored spandex outfits were fighting some sort of alien type creature.  
  
"Nothing's wrong." Kirstin replied with an innocent smile.  
  
"You scared me half to death you little brat!" Jasmine exclaimed.  
  
"It wasn't Me." her sister replied, "it was Tori, the alien got her."  
  
"What?" Jasmine then noticed the alien had one of the blue people in its clutches. Then something donned on her; "Why are you watching TV anyway. Mom said you couldn't watch anything till I'd checked your homework."  
  
"So." Kirstin said, "I couldn't miss this episode. Besides mom always lets me watch 'Power Rangers' even if my work's not done."  
  
"Is that what this crap is?"  
  
"Hey! 'Power Rangers' is not crap."  
  
"Whatever munchkin. Turn the TV off and finish your homework."  
  
"No. Mom would let me finish the show."  
  
"Well I'm not mom, and I say turn the TV off." Kirstin sat still with her arms folded stubbornly across her chest. Jasmine gave her sister a withering look. She walked over to the television and turned it off.  
  
"What did you do that for! It was getting to the good part." Kirstin cried out.  
  
"I told you to finish your homework, THEN you can watch 'Power Rangers.'" Jasmine said calmly. Kirstin reached for the remote and turned the TV back on. Jasmine frowned, then an idea struck her.  
She got down on her stomach and reached up under the dresser. She knew Kirstin's short arms would never reach the outlet, so she wouldn't be able to watch television until Jasmine turned the set back on.  
Just as Jasmine's fingers closed around the plug, thunder shook the house, and a bright streak of lightening lit up the room. A surge of electricity traveled up Jasmine's arm, and throughout her body. Jasmine screamed. The world around her tilted, everything turned black, and Jasmine felt as if she was falling through space.  
  
Jasmine felt herself land on something soft and warm. Hot sunlight shone down on her face. Wait she thought to herself, Since when did it stop raining, and when did I turn over on my back?  
Jasmine decided that the only way to figure out anything was to open her eyes. Almost afraid of what she would see if she lifted her lids, she struggled to open her eyes. With a spurt of courage, Jasmine opened her eyes, and her courage disappeared immediately.  
A face stared back at her, but not an ordinary face; no this was an ugly, monstrous, en-human face. Big bug eyes stared into hers, and large antenna sprouted up from its head. The creature had no mouth, just a tube protruding from its face. The body was like that of a monkey, with long arms that hung limply to the side, and a tail, that had to be at least six feet long, swung out from behind the monster to grab Jasmine. A blood- curdling scream was wrenched from the girl's throat as the creature swung her up into the air.  
  
~*~*~  
  
So what did you guys think? I hope that this turns out as well as my other POWER RANGERS fic, Power of Heart. If you enjoyed the first part of this story, you might want to check that story out. Anyway please review. Thank you. 


	2. Spandex people and talking rodents

No I do NOT own any of the Power Rangers, or any characters associated with the show. I do however own Jasmine, Kirstin, and any other original characters.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Jasmine screamed bloody murder as she felt her feet leave the ground. The alien squeezed her, forcing Jasmine to stop screaming for lack of air. A bolt of yellow colored light came out of nowhere and shot off the alien's tail, sending the teen hurtling to the ground.  
A pair of strong arms caught Jasmine just seconds before she hit the earth. She gasped for breath as her savior set her safely on the ground. Jasmine turned to face her rescuer; she bit back another scream. It was one of the people from Kirstin's television show! She gulped down another breath of air as she stared at the yellow spandex clad person.  
  
"Dude some help!" a voice startled Jasmine. She looked over to see the rest of the spandex people fighting the alien.  
  
"On my way." The yellow person said rushing over to help his friends. Jasmine felt faint, she sat down on the ground with a thump. Her eyes started to blur, and her head felt like it weighed a ton. She lay back on the cool grass and shut her eyes. The fog cleared from around her brain and she sat up to watch the fight.  
  
~*~*~  
  
A scream split the air. Dustin looked up into the sky. The alien had a girl in its clutches! Dustin grabbed his blaster and shot the creature's tail off. The girl began to fall and the yellow Power Ranger ran to catch her. She landed in his arms safely; Dustin placed her feet on the ground and looked at her.  
She had a dark tint to her skin, sort of like Blake's, but lighter. Her hair was highlighted hot pink; it was cropped short around her ears, and feathered out. Large almond shaped eyes that were the color of the stormy sea stared at him in shock and horror. She wasn't thin, nor was she fat, instead she had a nice plump look to her. She wore a pair of jeans that had faded over time and had patches of colorful fabric sewn on to them, and a black tank top that covered her modestly, but still teased Dustin by showing just a hint of flesh.  
  
"Dude some help!" Shane's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He gave the girl one more look before running to help his friends.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The alien went down easily once the Rangers combined their weapons. Dustin rejoiced with the rest of them as the smoke from the battle blew away with the wind. The Power Rangers powered down, and turned around when a sharp gasp sounded from behind them.  
  
"Not good dude." Blake said as they all came face to face with the girl from earlier.  
  
"Man how could we forget she was here?" Shane said more to himself then to the team.  
  
"Please tell me I'm dreaming." The girl's voice startled them all.  
  
"Excuse me?" Tori asked.  
  
"This is all a dream, it has to be, the Power Rangers are NOT real." Dustin listened as she babbled to herself, "All I have to do is pinch myself and I'll wake up."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jasmine pinched herself, hard.  
  
"Ouch!" she cried, "Okay this is DEFINATLY not a dream. I get it," she laughed, "Kirstin put y'all up to this didn't she, that little brat, I'm so gonna get her for this. Kirstin, I know you're behind this you can come on out." Jasmine looked around at the six people surrounding her; they stared at her as if she was crazy, "Alright, Kirstin didn't pay you guys. This still is not happening; I refuse to believe that I am standing here surrounded by the Power Rangers. No I won't believe it; I am not here looking at FICTIONAL characters. You guys are not real!"  
  
"What are you going on about?" one of the Asian looking ones, the one with glasses, said.  
  
"Dude, I don't think she's right in the head." The blonde haired guy said.  
  
"Be nice you guys." The only female in their group chastised her friends. She walked over to Jasmine; "Hi I'm Tori."  
  
"Jasmine." Jasmine replied tentatively.  
  
"Nice to meet you." Tori replied, "That's Shane, Cam, Dustin, Hunter, and Blake." Jasmine looked around the circle of guys. They were all good looking in their own way.  
Shane had eyes that spoke volumes about him, and a smile that could ease the most troubled of people. Cam had the handsome dork look about him, Jasmine knew that he was the genius of the group. Dustin, who had saved Jasmine, had the cute cuddliness of a puppy. He was easy on the eyes, and had a good-natured sense to him. Hunter had a mysterious look about him, like he had seen things, and knew things that others couldn't possibly imagine. Blake had that exotic look, and a smile that could weaken any girl's knees.  
  
"Tori, can we talk to you." Cam said, Tori nodded and the group gathered in a tight circle.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"We got to take her back to Ninja Ops," Cam said, "She's seen who were are, Dad will know what to do."  
  
"I don't know man," Shane said, "it might be a trap of some sort."  
  
"Dude, I don't think she has any clue as to where she is." Dustin said, "I say we take her and see what Sensei has to say."  
  
"I gotta go with Shane on this one guys," Hunter said, "it could be a trap, or she may just be a crazy lunatic."  
  
"That's not a fair assessment Hunter," Tori spoke up, "she seems nice enough, I'm going with Cam and Dustin on this." The group looked at Blake, the deciding factor.  
  
"Sensei will know what to do." Blake said after a long pause.  
  
"Alright, it's decided then." Cam said, "We take her back to Ninja Ops and see what my father has to say on the matter."  
  
~*~*~  
  
The Power Rangers led a blindfolded Jasmine down the stairs to Ninja Ops. The teen had objected at first, but learning this was the only was to receive answers, she went along with them.  
Cam removed the blindfold, and Jasmine stared in wonder at their hidden fortress.  
  
"This is so cool!" she said looking around the place.  
  
"Rangers, what is the meaning of this." A furry rodent flipped up onto the computer screen that sat at one end of the room.  
  
"Ah!" Jasmine shrieked, grabbing onto the first person she could, which just happened to be Hunter, who looked at her slightly startled, "Do not tell me that is a talking rat."  
  
"He's a guinea pig." Cam replied somewhat hostile, "and he's my father."  
  
"Okay dude, I don't even want to touch that subject." Jasmine said relinquishing her hold on Hunter's arm.  
  
"Cameron, explain." The guinea pig said.  
  
"Some how Jasmine turned up at the fight, the alien grabbed her, Dustin saved her, we forgot she was there, and she saw us power down." Cam gave his father the condensed version. Sensei nodded his head before turning to Jasmine.  
  
"Tell me Jasmine, how did you come to be at the park."  
  
"You're not gonna believe me if I told you." Jasmine said.  
  
"Try Me." Sensei responded.  
  
"Alright, but I warned you." Jasmine recounted every little detail, from when Kirstin screamed, to when the Rangers blindfolded her and brought her to Ninja Ops.  
  
"So you're telling us, that we're a TV show." Dustin said, "Dude that is so COOL!"  
  
"Shut up Dustin." Cam said, "There has to be a reasonable explanation for what happened."  
  
"Dude, do you have to analyze EVERYTHING?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Yeah man, let's just bask in the fact that we're television stars." Dustin laughed.  
  
"Something just doesn't seem right with this," Cam said, he pressed some buttons on the computer, "I can't shake the feeling that Lothor is somehow behind all this."  
  
"Who's Lothor?" Jasmine asked. Tori looked at her with a sympathetic smile.  
  
"Come on, well Cam tries to figure out what's going on, we'll give you a tour of Blue Bay Harbor, and fill you in on all the facts." The blue Wind Ninja Ranger said after looking at Sensei, who nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"If she is to remain here, she must know all the details." He said. Tori took Jasmine by the arm and led her out of Ninja Ops, the other Rangers following behind.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Zurgane!" Lothor yelled from his throne.  
  
"Yes Lothor." The alien general said kneeling at the evil ninja's feet.  
  
"How is your plan coming along? Have the pieces fallen in place yet?"  
  
"Oh yes sir, everything is going according to plan."  
  
"Excellent." Lothor let out an evil laugh that echoed throughout his ship.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Well I hope you all enjoyed this installment of my story. So what exactly is Lothor's plan? You're gonna have to continue reading to figure it out. Also I'm taking a poll, which male Power Ranger should Jasmine hook up with, Cam, Dustin, Hunter, or Shane? Place your vote in your review, or email it to me. Thanks. 


	3. You're only human

Chapter Two  
  
A gentle breeze came off the ocean. Jasmine closed her eyes and reveled in the warm air and the soft sound of the swells rising and falling. She breathed deeply, inhaling the salty scent of the ocean. For a second she forgot all about having been sucked through the television, and a soft sigh escaped through her lips.  
  
"This is my favorite place too." Tori's voice sounded behind her, and Jasmine came back to reality.  
  
"It seems so mystical." She whispered, "like if I speak too loudly, it will all disappear."  
  
"Hey are you two finished over there?" Hunter called out; "We still have to show Jasmine the race track."  
  
"And she still needs to see the skate-park and Storm Chargers." Shane cried as well. Tori shot Jasmine a smile.  
  
"Boys will be boys." She laughed; Jasmine laughed along with her. It was the first time she had been able to laugh in a long time.  
  
"Let's go already." Dustin yelled as the two girls made their way slowly up the beach to where the four male Rangers were waiting beside Tori's van. Jasmine climbed up front with Tori, and the guys all piled in the back seat.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Cam sat staring at the computer screen. His brow was furrowed in deep concentration, and he was oblivious to everything around him.  
  
"What is it Cameron?" his father's voice broke through Cam's thoughts.  
  
"Something's not right dad." He said, "I'm picking up traces of an alien life force, but there's no alien anywhere."  
  
"Is it possible son, that the alien has taken human form."  
  
"No, the censors would have picked that up, it's something else."  
  
"I will leave you to your work then. I only hope that this puzzle is solved soon."  
  
"You and me both dad."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Laughing, the Rangers and Jasmine entered Storm Chargers.  
  
"What is so funny." A woman walked up to the group.  
  
"Shane totally wiped out." Blake choked out as a limping Shane walked over to the couch in front of the television and propped his leg up.  
  
"Oh Kelly, this is Jasmine," Dustin introduced the teen and the older woman, "Jasmine this is Kelly, she owns the place."  
  
"It's nice to meet you." Jasmine said with a smile. Kelly smiled back and the two shook hands.  
  
"So what have you all been up to?" Kelly asked as the group all fell down on the couch laughing.  
  
"We were showing Jasmine around town." Hunter said shooting the pink haired girl a smirk, "She's new here so we thought we'd give her the grand tour."  
  
"What do you think of Blue Bay Harbor so far Jasmine?" Kelly asked.  
  
"Please call me Jazz, all my friends do, and the place is great." Jasmine replied.  
  
"That's great." Kelly said, "I hate to break up your party though, but these boys have to work, and Shane you need to go home and put some ice on that ankle."  
  
"Oh come on Kels." Dustin whined, "We're having so much fun."  
  
"Too bad." Kelly said not sounding the least bit sorry, "but if you guys want to keep your jobs you gotta do some work."  
With exaggerated pouts on their faces, Dustin, Blake, and Hunter stood up and went into the storeroom to unload boxes. Shane sat back with a smug expression.  
  
"Ah, this is the life." He said placing his hands behind his head.  
  
"Have your fun now Shane," Kelly said, "as soon as that ankle's better you're coming back to work." The three women shared a laugh over Shane's stricken face.  
  
"Come on Jazz," Tori said standing up, "Let's go shopping. I have a feeling you're gonna need some more stuff."  
  
"Me too." Jasmine replied. The two said their good-byes and walked out the door.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Cam studied the radar on the screen of the main computer terminal. He shook his head in frustration and a sigh echoed throughout the hidden lair.  
  
"Do not give up Cam, the answer may not be as hidden as it seems." His father said coming to stand next to his arm.  
  
"I know dad, but this is just so confusing." Cam said.  
  
"What's confusing?" Cam looked up as Jasmine walked in followed by Tori.  
  
"Nothing," Cam said, "you wouldn't understand it."  
  
"Try Me." Jasmine said.  
  
"Okay. The computer is picking up traces of alien activity, but there are no aliens showing on the radar." Jasmine's eyes got a far away look in them, and her brow furrowed in thought.  
  
"Maybe," she said after a long silence, "just maybe, there isn't an actual alien, but more of an alien's influence that you're picking up."  
  
"Explain." Cam said suddenly interested.  
  
"Say that you preformed an experiment somewhere okay."  
  
"I'm following you."  
  
"Well if you left the experiment set, and you left, well your influence would still be there would it not?"  
  
"So what you're saying is that perhaps an alien came down and did something to alter the environment where he landed."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"It's possible, I'm gonna call the others." Cam turned to Tori who had stood silent during the whole exchange, "Tor I want you guys to check out the south side of the park, around where you were earlier today."  
  
"Gottcha." Tori said, "We'll tell you what we find."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jasmine watched Tori jog out of Ninja Ops, she suddenly felt out of place and self-conscious. She could feel Cam's eyes on her and felt nervous.  
  
"So how do you know so much about science?" he asked.  
  
"I may not seem like it, but I am a total geek." Jasmine replied with a laugh. Cam smiled, and Jasmine felt herself falling into his eyes. With a mental slap she forced herself to look anywhere but at the tech geek.  
  
"I never would have guessed you were a nerd." The young man said.  
  
"I prefer dweeb." Jasmine replied. Cam laughed. The teen marveled at how musical his laugh was. Cam put Jasmine at ease just by laughing and asking simple questions about her life. It wasn't long before Jasmine told him all about how her parents had spilt up when she was fifteen and all about the custody battle raging over her and her sister. Each parent tried to gain the upper hand over the other by buying the girls everything they wanted, and by letting them do what they wanted when they wanted. Jasmine expressed her concerns over how her sister took full advantage over their parents and how she played them against each other to get what she wanted. She expressed her longing for them to act like real parents instead of like parents who were trying to be her best-friend.  
Jasmine told Cam all about how she and her boyfriend of two years had split earlier that year because he was cheating on her with her ex-best friend. Tears slowly rolled from her eyes as she recounted how she had seen them making out at a party and how they had tried to cover it up.  
She told him how she worked hard to get good grades so that she could be accepted to a good college and be able to get away from all the pain that surrounded her at home.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Cam listened with a sympathetic ear as Jasmine talked about her life. He could not believe that one person could suffer so much. He handed her a tissue to wipe her eyes, and Jasmine excepted it with a grateful smile.  
  
"Thanks." She said, "I never knew how pathetic my life sounded till I said it all out loud." She gave a weak laugh.  
  
"It could be worse." Cam said, "Your uncle could be an evil space ninja intent on taking over the world." A hearty laugh escaped Jasmine.  
  
"Yeah that does sound worse."  
  
"Cam we found something that might be of interest to you." Shane's voice interrupted them.  
  
"What is it?" Cam asked.  
  
"Dude you're gonna have to come and see this yourself, 'cause I doubt you'll believe Me." Shane replied.  
  
"We'll be there in a minute." Cam looked at Jasmine.  
  
"Let's go." He said.  
  
~*~*~  
  
AN: I hope that y'all enjoyed this chapter. Please don't forget to cast your votes for who you would like to see Jasmine hook up with. Also, I know that whole little thing about the alien's influence still being there was kinda confusing, I just didn't know how else to write it. Forgive me for any confusing moments in this chapter and all the chapters to come.  
Count stands at- Dustin 1, Cam 0, Hunter 0, and Shane 0.  
  
What did the Rangers find? Who is Jasmine gonna end up with? What is Lothor up to? Find out the answers to these questions and more in the upcoming chapters of A World Apart. 


	4. Portals and captives

Chapter Three  
  
An eerie silence had engulfed the park when Jasmine and Cam showed up. The five Rangers called them to where they stood.  
  
"What did you guys find?" Cam asked.  
  
"That." Shane said pointing into the air. Cam and Jasmine looked up. A neon purple sphere swirled among the clouds. Blue streaks of lightning slashed through the center of the sphere.  
  
"What IS that?" Jasmine asked perplexed.  
  
"My guess is that it's the portal you came through." Cam replied.  
  
"Well now that we have that figured out," Dustin said, his back to the others, "maybe you can figure out how the heck we're supposed to fight that." The group turned to see an alien close behind them.  
  
"Two in one day, that's got to be a record man." Blake said.  
  
"You might want to get out of here." Hunter said to Jasmine.  
  
"How?" the girl asked turning around in a circle, "We're surrounded." And surrounded they were. While they had all been looking at the portal, kelzacs had formed a tight circle around them. The Power Rangers assumed a fighting stance, and everything grew still. Nothing moved, it seemed as if time was waiting to see who would strike first. The kelzacs attacked in a fury of motion. The Rangers were instantly on the defensive.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Lothor watched as his kelzac army attacked the Power Rangers. An evil grin spreading across his face.  
  
"I want you to grab the girl as soon as you can Zurgane." He said to his general.  
  
"Of course master." The alien replied before teleporting to Earth.  
  
"Now Rangers, the fun begins." Lothor laughed.  
  
~*~*~  
  
A kelzac grabbed Jasmine's arm. She seized his hand and flipped him over, kicking her next attacker. A sword sliced through the air next to Jasmine's head, cutting down two kelzacs that were advancing.  
  
"Thanks." She said.  
  
"Don't mention it." Shane replied. The two separated, and Jasmine was on her own again. She did a quick back flip, knocking down a couple kelzacs.  
  
"Whoa, you go girl." Tori cried. Jasmine bowed, delivering a back kick to an advancing kelzac, knocking him into three more. Dustin whistled.  
  
"She's giving us a run for our money dudes, are we gonna take that." He shouted.  
  
"No way man." Hunter called back as he shot down a line of Lothor's goons. Suddenly, the kelzacs disappeared, and the alien advanced.  
  
"It is my turn now Rangers." It said, "You will not defeat me as easily as you did the kelzacs."  
  
"You might want to leave now Jasmine," Shane said, "This part can get messy."  
  
"Right." The teen replied backing away, "I'll see you guys when you're through here."  
  
~*~*~  
  
The Power Rangers made sure their new friend was far enough away that she would not be harmed before attacking the alien with all their might. Sparks flew, and smoke clouded their vision. It was going to be a long fight.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jasmine hurried to safety, all the while keeping an eye on her Power Ranger friends. They seemed to be having a stare down with the alien; they circled each other, trying to psych the other out. A hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed her arm roughly. Jasmine screamed, but a hand covered her mouth, making her choke back the sound.  
  
"You're coming with me." A gruff, almost mechanical sounding voice said in her ear. Jasmine struggled against her assailant's strong hold, but he only tightened it more till she felt as if she was in a death grip.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The alien fell sooner then Dustin had thought. The smoke cleared, and he powered down with the rest of his teammates.  
  
"Well that was fun." Hunter said sarcastically, "Just the way I want to spend my Friday afternoon."  
  
"At least we can look forward to a nice relaxing weekend." Blake said slinging his arm across his brother's shoulders.  
  
"That sounds great," Dustin said, "Hey maybe we can hang out at the beach, you know get some sun, maybe a few babes. OUCH!" he cried, gingerly touching his head where Tori had slapped him, "What was that for."  
  
"You are so sexist." She said, "girls really don't like it when a guy refers to them as 'babes' and not as human beings.  
  
"Sorry." Dustin said rubbing his head, "Blake man, you really need to learn to control your woman." Tori shot him a glare and raised her hand menacingly.  
  
"Don't hurt me." Dustin cried hiding behind Shane.  
  
"I try man," Blake laughed, "But she's got a mind of her own." Tori smiled at her boyfriend.  
  
"As it should be," she responded, "and I'm sure Jasmine would agree with me."  
  
"Duh," Hunter said, "You girls always stick together. You even go to the bathroom together."  
  
"Not all girls do that." Tori said.  
  
"How would you know," Dustin piped up from behind Shane, "You only hang out with us guys, and you know how people frown upon guys going into the girls room."  
  
"Dustin man, I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you." Blake laughed as Tori sent the yellow Ranger a withering stare.  
  
"You know what dude, I think I'll take you up on that advice." The group laughed and headed back to Ninja Ops.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Hey dad," Cam greeted his father as the team walked into the lair, "Where's Jasmine?"  
  
"I thought that she was with all of you." Sensei replied, coming out of his little hut.  
  
"No, we ran into an alien, and we told her to come back here." Shane said.  
  
"It is as I feared." Sensei said, sadly hanging his head.  
  
"What is?" Cam asked.  
  
"Jasmine's coming here was no mistake," Sensei said, "Lothor has some purpose in mind for her." The Power Rangers exchanged shock glances. Lothor had Jasmine, and they had no idea what he wanted with her.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Well you certainly don't look menacing." Lothor said as he circled the young girl.  
  
"What do you want with me?" The teen spat out, her voice hid her fear, and gave off an intimidating sense.  
  
"That my dear you shall find out in due time." Lothor said.  
  
"Uncle," Lothor turned around, Kapri and Mara, his dimwitted nieces stood behind him.  
  
"What?" he growled, irritated at being interrupted.  
  
"You said that Kapri and I could capture her." Mara whined.  
  
"Did I?" The two girls did not hear the sarcastic, or the angry sound in their uncle's voice.  
  
"Yes you did, and we thought it only fair that you let her go so that we can capture her ourselves." Kapri said.  
  
"Release her, you say," Kapri and Mara nodded, silly grins plastered on their faces, "RELEASE HER!" Lothor bellowed, "Are you two really THAT stupid to think that after I have already captured someone that I would RELEASE them." The two coward together and Lothor loomed over them; "I want you two out of my sight." The two dimwitted girls ran out of the room. The hostage chuckled.  
  
"What is so funny?" Lothor demanded as the girl broke into tears from laughing so hard.  
  
"How do you expect to scare me, when there is so much comic relief around this place."  
  
"You will fear me," Lothor said, an evil glint in his eyes, "and you will do as I say, or you will die."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hope you all liked this chapter. Since Shane and Hunter have received few or no votes, I'm dropping them out of the running. So now the count stands at Dustin- 3, and Cam- 5. Don't forget to cast your vote.  
  
What will happen to Jasmine? Why did Lothor take her hostage? Will the Rangers be able to rescue her? And just whom will Jasmine end up with, the brainiac or the goofball? Stay tuned to future chapters to find out. 


	5. One long, totally weird day

Chapter Four  
  
"This is bad dude, really bad." Dustin said as he paced the floor of Ninja Ops, "Why would Lothor take Jasmine in the first place?"  
  
"That is unclear to me at the present Dustin, but give me time to meditate on this and I am certain I can come up with an answer." Sensei replied.  
  
"We don't have time dad." Cam said from where he sat at the computer terminal, "We have to figure out a way to get Jasmine back, and fast."  
  
"Dude, what can you come up with to get us on that ship?" Blake asked Cam.  
  
"I don't know." Cam replied, "I might be able to devise some sort of teleportation unit that can get one of us there."  
  
"If you can make one, I'm going up there." Tori said. The male Rangers turned to their female teammate, shock covering each of their faces. Tori had remained silent during the whole conversation, and was now volunteering to enter a possible trap!  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea Tor." Blake said walking over to his girlfriend, "If something were to happen, we might not be able to help you."  
  
"Don't worry Blake," Tori said, "I'm just as capable as any one of you to do this."  
  
"Blake's right though Tori," Hunter spoke up, "You don't know anything about Lothor's ship, Blake and I have been there, one of us will go."  
  
"Why should I let one of you go?" Tori asked, her tone telling them all that she was tired of their arguments.  
  
"Tor, listen to me," Blake said taking Tori's hand in his, "Hunter and I know the layout of the ship, we know where traps and alarms are."  
  
"Then you can tell me everything you know." Tori said.  
  
"Why is this so important to you?" Blake cried, "You barely even know Jasmine, and you're willing to risk your life to save her."  
  
"I have to do this Blake," Tori's voice was calm, but it held an edge.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because there is something inside me telling me to." Tori said, "And I know that if I ignore this that something bad is gonna happen."  
  
"Guys, you're talking like I've already got the unit made," Cam broke into the argument, "Just calm down and give me a couple hours, THEN we will decide who's going up."  
  
"Cam's got a point you guys," Shane said, "We all just need to calm down a bit and think this through."  
  
"I'm done being calm," Tori shouted, "I know I have to do this. Why can't you all see that." Tori ran out of Ninja Ops.  
  
"Tor, wait!" Blake cried and started to go after her. Dustin grabbed a hold of his arm.  
  
"Let her go dude, Tori needs some time to herself." The yellow Ranger said. Blake nodded his head in understanding.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"I'm growing tired of your insolence." Lothor said as two kelzacs pulled Jasmine from her cell and pushed her down at the space ninja's feet, "Either you will cooperate or I will force you to use your powers."  
  
"Back off fungus breath. I don't have any POWERS, and even if I did I would never use them to harm anybody." Jasmine shot back as she pushed the kelzacs away from her and stood up.  
  
"Why do you continue to deny what I know you possess?" Lothor's voice held an edge in it, even though he tried to sound calm and cool.  
  
"Dude, you have serious issues." The teen replied.  
  
"Uncle, uncle, uncle!" Mara ran into the room excited followed closely by Kapri.  
  
"What is it NOW?" Lothor shouted at them. The two recoiled. Kapri shoved Mara towards their uncle. Mara scowled at her sister; "I'm waiting." Lothor snapped.  
  
"Well see, we umm...we thought that maybe now that she's here," Mara said looking pointedly at Jasmine, "We thought maybe we could send some kelzacs down to defeat the Power Rangers."  
  
"I don't CARE." Lothor said, "Just leave me ALONE!" The two aliens ran out of the room. Lothor sighed, "Now where were we. Ah yes," he got in Jasmine's face, "You will help me or I will force you to."  
  
"Seriously man," Jasmine said, "pick up a toothbrush once in awhile, you have serious bad breath."  
  
"Take her back to her cell." Lothor told the kelzacs, "She'll turn around eventually." The kelzacs grabbed the girl's arms and dragged her away.  
  
~*~*~  
  
A high pitched beeping sounded through Ninja Ops.  
  
"Great, what is it now." Cam said as he looked up at the screen. Instead of the teleportation system that he had been working on, a horde of kelzacs ran around terrorizing the patrons of an outdoors diner. Cam sighed and pushed a button on the computer keyboard.  
  
"What's up Cam?" Shane's voice echoed in the lair.  
  
"Kelzacs." He replied simply.  
  
"We're on our way." Shane said. Cam shook his head. Those goons always showed up at the worst times. He minimized the picture and brought his work back up on screen. He would continue with his work until the Rangers called him for back up.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Dustin dodged a kelzac, and kicked down another one. The amount of kelzacs seemed to be doubling. There was an endless sea of them surrounding the Power Rangers.  
  
"Uh Shane man, you might want to call in the Calvary." He yelled over to the leader of the team.  
  
"No need to." Cam's voice sounded behind the yellow Ranger, "I'm all ready here." The team continued to pulverize the kelzacs, but every time they destroyed one, two more would pop up.  
  
"We can't keep doing this." Hunter yelled, "There's more of them than there are of us."  
  
"We need to combine our weapons." Shane yelled back. The Power Rangers gathered together and combined their weapons. A great blast destroyed half of the kelzacs, but more sprung up.  
  
"This is gonna take forever." Tori shouted.  
  
"Here Tori," Cam ran over to the blue Ranger, "Take this and get Jasmine." He handed her bracelet that had a small box on top of it.  
  
"On my way." Tori said. She pressed a button on the box and teleported away.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jasmine rocked back and forth on the floor of her cell, gently humming to herself and toying with the necklace that lay at the base of her throat. She looked for all the world like she had gone insane. The truth, though, was she was simply reliving times when she had been normal. When she hadn't had to deal with Power Rangers, aliens, and evil space ninjas intent on taking over the world. It was hard to believe that she had only been in Blue Bay Harbor one day, and all this was happening to her. She continued to play with the moon shaped medallion around her neck. It was the only link she had to the real world.  
Footsteps tapped silently on the marble floor of the space ship. Someone was coming. Jasmine hurriedly got to her feet, ready to fight if anyone tried to drag her from her cell and back to Lothor. A person, shrouded in darkness, stood before the cell door.  
  
"Don't worry Jasmine, I'm gonna get you out." Tori stepped into the light, and Jasmine let out a small squeal of delight.  
  
"I was wondering how long it would take one of you to get here." Jasmine whispered giddily. Tori took a small cube off a bracelet on her wrist, and placed it against the lock on the cell door.  
  
"Just one second." Tori said, a soft click echoed in the room, "Got it." The Ranger pulled open the door and Jasmine walked out. The two girls grabbed hands and teleported off the ship.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Finally the kelzacs had started to wane. Only a few more were left, and the five male Power Rangers easily defeated them.  
  
"That took way too long man." Hunter said as they all powered down and headed back to Ninja Ops.  
  
"Definitely bro." Blake said as they wearily trudged down the stairs to the hidden lair.  
  
"I am ready for a nice long nap." Dustin laughed.  
  
"Me too, this day has been WAY too long, and totally weird." Smiles covered all the faces as the guys saw Jasmine stand up from her seat at the computer terminal.  
  
"You know Tor, I had my doubts, but you did it." Blake said walking over to his girlfriend and kissing her before heading over and hugging Jasmine.  
  
"It's great to have you back girl." Shane said following suit. Soon the whole team surrounded Jasmine and gave her one large group hug.  
  
"Well it's nice to know I'm a part of the group." Jasmine said as she struggled for air in the tight knit hug, "But I'm having some trouble breathing in here people." The group pulled away and everyone laughed.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Don't even think for a second that I'm done with this story. I still have many more chapters to go before I can reach the end. Don't forget to cast your vote for either Dustin or Cam. The count is currently at Dustin- 4, Cam-5.  
  
Does Jasmine have some kind of unknown powers? If so, what are they, and why does Lothor want them? And the answer to the question everyone is dying to know, whom will Jasmine fall in love with? All this and more in the upcoming chapters of A WORLD APART. 


	6. Weekend interrupted

Chapter Five  
  
Warm light streamed in through an open window and across Jasmine's face. A contented sigh escaped the sleeping girl's lips. The bed was soft and warm, and she didn't want to wake from her deep slumber.  
  
"Jazz come on, you gotta get up." Tori's voice broke through the fog surrounding Jasmine's brain, "We're supposed to meet the guys in an hour."  
  
"Ten more minutes." The sleeping girl mumbled.  
  
"No, now." Tori pulled the covers off Jasmine, who curled into a ball at the sudden chill.  
  
"Alright I'm up." Jasmine sat up in the bed, her hair a mess and her eyes still closed, "Now let me go back to sleep."  
  
"Sorry, can't do that." Tori pulled Jasmine to her feet and guided her to the breakfast table where a meal of bacon and eggs and sausage had been set out. As the smell of coffee penetrated Jasmine's physique, the girl sprang to life.  
  
"Oh, coffee, must have coffee." She said as Tori handed her a mug. Jasmine took a sip, a silly grin on her face, "Yummy, coffee." Tori laughed as Jasmine basked in the scent of the wonderful beverage.  
  
"Alright, so today we're meeting the guys at the race track 'cause the moto heads have a race, then we're all heading down to the beach to have some fun."  
  
"Sounds good to me." Jasmine said as she ate, "When do we have to meet them?"  
  
"Half an hour." Tori said glancing at her watch. Jasmine choked on her coffee.  
  
"Half an hour?" she exclaimed, "I've gotta start getting ready." The girl raced back to Tori's guest bedroom to shower and change.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Dustin looked up from his bike as the two girls approached.  
  
"You're late." Blake said walking over and planting a kiss on Tori's cheek.  
  
"We would have gotten here earlier, but SOMEBODY decided to sleep in." Tori sent a teasing look towards Jasmine.  
  
"Whatever, I deserved to sleep in okay." Jasmine teased back, "After all it's not everyday I'm sucked through the television, attacked by space aliens, meet a talking rodent, and get captured by a space ninja." The group laughed as Jasmine ticked off all the reasons she needed her sleep.  
  
"Racers, please gather at the starting line." The announcer said as the group of friends talked. Dustin and the brothers excused themselves and went off to the starting line.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"So what exactly happens here?" Jasmine asked Tori as the three guys left.  
  
"You mean you've never seen a motocross race before?" Tori said surprised.  
  
"Nope." Jasmine said shaking her head.  
  
"It's simple," Shane cut in, "All they're gonna do is race each other around that track, and maybe pull a couple of tricks while they're at it."  
  
"That's it?" Jasmine asked  
  
"That's it." Shane assured her.  
  
"Sounds cool enough." The teen replied.  
  
"Just you wait and see." Tori said.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"You imbecile. How could you have let her get away!" Lothor yelled at Zurgane, "You were supposed to make sure she didn't escape."  
  
"I am sorry Lothor." Zurgane said kneeling at Lothor's feet, "I have made a grave error and I beg your forgiveness."  
  
"Just make sure it never happens again!" Lothor roared, "And find me some bait so I can recapture that girl. I will have those powers."  
  
~*~*~  
  
The beach was full of sunbathers, families, and surf heads when the seven friends arrived. They unloaded from Tori's van and stripped down to their swimsuits. Cam glanced over at Jasmine, her black tankini kept her modestly covered, but did nothing to hide her figure.  
  
"You gonna tell her?" Blake said from behind Cam.  
  
"Tell who what?" Cam asked.  
  
"Are you gonna tell Jasmine you like her?" Blake repeated. Cam glanced over to where the two girls where talking.  
  
"I don't think I can." He replied, "I'm not even sure I like her that way yet."  
  
"Whatever you say man." Blake said with a grin as he walked away to join his girlfriend.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jasmine jumped into the waves, the cool salty water rushing over her. It felt good to be able to let go and live life normally for a change.  
  
"Hey Jazz," Dustin called to her from shore, "You wanna play Frisbee?"  
  
"Definitely man." Jasmine called back.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Dustin watched as Jasmine came out of the water. She was beautiful and she didn't even know it, which made her even more irresistible. Dustin couldn't believe that after only having known her for a day, he was already attracted to her. Not only was she gorgeous, but smart, funny, and she could kick major kelzac butt.  
The Frisbee knocked Dustin in the head.  
  
"Dude pay attention." Hunter said as he howled with laughter. Dustin grinned evilly and threw the disk at Hunter. The crimson Ranger rubbed his head where the Frisbee made contact.  
  
"Since when did this become a contact sport?" Shane asked. Hunter threw the disk at the red Ranger who ducked just in time. The Frisbee instead hit Blake who was coming back with Tori from a walk. Blake picked up the Frisbee and chucked it at his brother who kicked the disk and sent it towards Cam. The Samurai Ranger caught it easily, and threw it to Jasmine who turned around and caught the disk behind her back, then threw it under her leg to Tori.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Lothor paced his ship, trying to formulate a plan to recapture Jasmine. The girl held the key to defeating the Power Rangers. If only his generals weren't so stupid as to let her escape, he would have had the power already. Lothor glanced down at his Earth monitoring screen. The Power Rangers were frolicking on the beach with their new little friend, it disgusted him. An evil grin lit up his face. He had the perfect plan.  
  
"Zurgane!" he bellowed.  
  
"Yes master." The general replied as he hurried into the throne room.  
  
"There's something I want you to do for me." Lothor laughed evilly.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Rangers I am picking up an alien life force down at the power plant." Sensei's voice came from the Rangers' morphers. Shane glanced around searching for anyone that would overhear.  
  
"We're on our way Sensei." He replied.  
  
"Shane," Sensei said before the Rangers could take off, "take Jasmine with you." The Power Rangers and Jasmine exchanged looks.  
  
"Alright Sensei." Shane replied, he turned to the others, "Let's go."  
  
~*~*~  
  
The power plant seemed deserted when the seven arrived. They searched the area, each one wondering where the alien was, and why Jasmine was told to come along.  
  
"Looking for me Rangers?" Zurgane appeared before them. Jasmine got into a fighting stance along with the others. If she was supposed to be there, she was gonna fight too.  
  
"What are you doing here Zurgane?" Blake asked the evil general.  
  
"I just brought your friend a little present, courtesy of Lothor." Zurgane replied, "Say hello to your sister." The general reached behind him and pulled a trembling girl in front of him.  
  
"Kirstin!" Jasmine screamed, "Let her go you freak."  
  
"I wouldn't be making demands if I were you." Zurgane laughed, "After all we wouldn't want your sister to get hurt now would we."  
  
"Jazzy help me." Kirstin cried as Zurgane tightened his grip.  
  
"Yes Jazzy," he taunted, "help her. All you have to do is walk over here and take her." Jasmine looked from Zurgane to her sister's frightened face. The choice was clear to her; she had to sacrifice herself to save Kirstin. She took a tentative step forward.  
  
"Don't do it Jasmine." Tori said, "It might be a trap."  
  
"I have to." Jasmine said, "I don't have a choice."  
  
"That's right," Zurgane said, "you don't. Now get over here, and your sister goes free." Jasmine took another couple steps. Strong arms quickly grabbed her waist, and Jasmine was pulled back towards the Rangers.  
  
"Let me go Cam." Jasmine struggled against the Samurai's hold.  
  
"I can't let you do this Jazz, there's got to be another way." Cam said, tightening his hold.  
  
"There is no other way you puny Ranger," Zurgane bellowed, "You have just signed her death sentence."  
  
"Kirstin no!" Jasmine cried as Zurgane and her sister vanished. Cam released his hold, and the teen fell to the ground in tears. Salty tears formed a puddle on the ground as Jasmine cried. Anger welled within her; " Why did you do that?" she screamed as she beat the earth with her fist. Jasmine stood and pushed Cam, "I could have saved her! I was her only hope! Why did you do that?"  
  
"Jasmine calm down." Tori said, trying to be the voice of reason, but Jasmine was beyond reasoning.  
  
"No I will not calm down!" she cried, "My sister might die now because of HIM." she pointed a finger at Cam, "Now I may call her a brat, and she may be a major pain in the butt, but I love her and I would give my life to keep her safe. And now she is in terrible danger all because Cam decided to play hero." Fresh tears made their way down Jasmine's cheeks, and she choked back heart wrenching sobs. She turned to stare at where Kirstin had stood in Zurgane's clutches. The pain, frustration, and anger overwhelmed her, and Jasmine fell to the ground in a dead faint.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Cam hurriedly caught Jasmine before her head could hit against the cold concrete. He picked her up, his heart heavy at the thought that he had done this to her. With sorrow filled eyes he carried her back to Ninja Ops. The rest of the Rangers followed him, all of them oblivious to the glowing pendant around her neck.  
  
~*~*~  
  
So, what did y'all think? I hope you liked this chapter. The scene with the Frisbee game was just written to kinda capture the playful nature about the Power Rangers, not to really have any importance to the plot. Don't forget to vote for either Cam or Dustin, currently Cam is ahead with five votes and Dustin close behind with four. If you want to have a say in who Jasmine ends up with, cast your vote now, because the poll is shutting down when the sixth chapter comes out.  
  
Will Jasmine recover in time to save Kirstin from near certain destruction? Who will Jasmine end up with? And what's up with the moon medallion? Stay tuned to upcoming chapters of A WORLD APART to find out. 


	7. Fire

Chapter Six  
  
A bright light flooded Jasmine's eyes and a cool breeze blew across her face. Her throat burned with heat and the fire slowly spread throughout her body. Jasmine's eyes snapped open her green-gray orbs wide with shock. She fought to calm her racing heart and her ragged breathing.  
Jasmine looked around her. The Power Rangers stood crowded together, their backs to her. Jasmine struggled to sit up, but fell back down on the table with a grunt. She closed her eyes and fought to clear the stars from her eyes. A soft and gentle hand helped her sit up slowly. Jasmine opened her eyes and stared straight into Cam's.  
  
"Hey." He said softly.  
  
"What happened?" Jasmine asked as she placed her feet on the floor. It was then that she noticed she was sitting on the small table in the main room of Ninja Ops.  
  
"You fainted." Tori said coming to sit next to her, "You had us worried for a little bit." Jasmine smiled slightly.  
  
"Sorry." She stood slowly to avoid a head rush.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright?" Cam asked worried.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Jasmine replied. Everything came rushing back to her suddenly, "Kirstin! I have to help Kirstin." She started towards the stairs and lost her balance. Dustin and Hunter caught her before she fell to the ground.  
  
"We'll figure out a way to get your sister back." Shane said, "Right now you need to rest."  
  
"I can't, not well I know she's in danger."  
  
"I am afraid, Jasmine, that you have no choice in this matter." Sensei said jumping up on the table. The two male Rangers led Jasmine back to the table and sat her down.  
  
"Sensei I can't just sit around and do nothing. I know I can save her."  
  
"You are in no condition to go anywhere Jasmine." Sensei scolded.  
  
"Yeah, you just sit back and rest and let us do the work." Dustin said kneeling down to look Jasmine in the eyes, "I promise we'll get her back Jazz."  
  
"I know you guys will, but I can't help but think that I can do more than you."  
  
"Well thanks for that vote of confidence." Blake teased. A beeping resounded through the room.  
  
"Great," Cam said turning to look at the monitor, "More kelzacs."  
  
"Dude, some weekend this has been." Hunter said sarcastically. The Rangers morphed and headed out to face the kelzacs. Jasmine watched them go and sighed.  
  
"What is troubling you Jasmine?" Sensei asked.  
  
"I know that I can help Sensei, why won't anyone believe me." Jasmine looked down at the guinea pig with sorrowful and questioning eyes.  
  
"Your path is clouded Jasmine. You must do as your heart is telling you, then and only then may the answers you seek become clear."  
  
"That's not as easy as it sounds." Jasmine uttered to herself. She looked at the entrance to Ninja Ops longingly and sighed, neither her nor the rodent beside her noticing the glow of her pendent.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Footsteps echoed in the hidden lair as the Power Rangers came bounding down the stairs.  
  
"Well that was a waste of time." Hunter said balancing on the edge of the desk where the main computer sat.  
  
"You're telling me." Dustin said, "Why in the world does Lothor keep sending down those goons if they just get their butts whooped."  
  
"Don't look at me." Cam said throwing his hands up in the air, "Just 'cause we share the same DNA doesn't mean I understand his motives."  
  
"Hey guys," Tori said looking around, "Where's Jasmine?"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Tree limbs tore at her shirt and jeans, and brambles scratched her face. Jasmine ran through the woods surrounding the Ninja Academy, or what was left of it. She didn't know why she was out there, she just knew that she had to be. A wave of scorching heat traveled through her body, and Jasmine fell to the ground crying out in pain. The wave passed, and the teen stood up, her body shaking. She pulled in a deep breath of air and exhaled slowly. Once her body stopped shaking, Jasmine was off running again.  
Leaves crunched underneath her feet and twigs snapped in two. Her breath was coming in short ragged gasps and her lungs burned. Jasmine's heart was pounding against her ribcage and her legs were sore, but she had to keep going. The moon pendant thudded against the base of her throat, and Jasmine could feel the heat coming off of it. Another wave of heat passed through her body. Jasmine fell to the ground on all fours, biting back a strangled cry. It was too much for her to handle, and a loud shriek erupted from her throat.  
Heavy footfalls sounded behind her, someone was running towards her. Jasmine tried to stand, but her legs were too weak, and she felt as if a thousand pounds weighed her down.  
  
"Jasmine! I found her!" Dustin called. Soon the other Power Rangers had surrounded Jasmine who was sitting panting against a tree.  
  
"Are you alright?" Tori asked looking at Jasmine's pale sweat drenched face.  
  
"I don't know what's happening." Jasmine replied, her voice sounded raspy and unused. Heat swept through her, followed by a mind numbing pain. Jasmine fell over, clutching her side and fighting back tears. An animalistic cry wrenching itself from her throat.  
Cam knelt down beside her, gently touched her forehead, and pulled his hand back quickly.  
  
"She's burning up," he said flabbergasted, "It's like she's on fire."  
  
"Um...you guys, what's that?" Blake pointed at Jasmine's medallion, which was glowing a brilliant red. Jasmine cried out, and Tori was instantly at her side.  
  
"It's gonna be okay Jazz," She said gently, "We're going to figure out what's happening."  
  
"Stupid Rangers," Lothor's evil chuckle sounded behind the group, "it is easy to see that your friend is dying." The Rangers turned around quickly and settled into fighting stances. Lothor laughed.  
  
"For once I'm not here to fight you Rangers." The ninja said.  
  
"Then why are you here Lothor?" Shane demanded, morpher at the ready.  
  
"To collect what is mine, now step aside Rangers." Lothor hurled a bolt of energy at the Rangers, who had no time to react. They fell to the ground unconscious. Lothor advanced on Jasmine. The teen tried to stand, but the pain was too great and she fell back down with a whimper.  
  
"What do you want?" she seethed between gritted teeth, her voice did not hold the defiance it had the first time the two met, now it held only pain.  
  
"I think you know what I want." Lothor said kneeling beside her, he reached out slowly. Jasmine watched the movement of his hands as he got closer and closer to her pendant. He began to clasp the medallion in his hand when a bolt of red light filled the sky, and the medallion began to crackle and spark. Jasmine's eyes widened in shock. What was happening?  
A spark struck Lothor's hand, and he pulled it away with a sharp cry. He stood and cradled his hand.  
  
"It doesn't matter." He said to himself, "as soon as you're dead, I can take the amulet without trouble." Pain ripped Jasmine apart, and the medallion began to glow brighter and brighter. The ferocity of the sparks increased, and blood red lightening continued to pierce the sky. Jasmine felt as if she was being burned alive. Fire overtook her body, and she could not contain the piercing screams that erupted from her. She began to shake and tremble, sweat came pouring off of her in sheets. A red glow surrounded her, and the heat intensified. Jasmine lay on the ground screaming, Lothor's sneering face above her. She shut her eyes tightly, praying that God would have mercy on her and end the pain. Tears mingled with the sweat, and Jasmine gasped for air that was not there. The glow continued to grow brighter and brighter, and all Jasmine could think of was she never got a chance to tell her family she loved them, that she wanted them to work things out. She never got a chance to say good-bye to everyone in her life, and she never would see them again. The end was near, Jasmine could feel it. Her pain was worsening and she didn't know how much longer she could hold on to life. All she wanted was to slip into unconsciousness and drift away. Then all of a sudden, her body felt as if it was being ripped in two, and she let loose the most awful scream. The sky was lit by a blinding light, and the medallion was shaking and sparks were flying from it. Then it all stopped.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Don't you just love cliffhangers? I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I had a LOT of fun writing this one and I hope that you all like it as much as I do. I would like to tell all of you that the voting is now over with. Cam has won with seven votes to Dustin's four. I want to thank all of you who voted and all of you who have reviewed my story thus far.  
  
What will happen to Jasmine? What was up with the medallion and what does it all mean? Why does Lothor want the medallion? Will the Power Rangers be able to save their friend? And what about Kirstin? Stay tuned to A World Apart to find out. 


	8. The Magic of the Medallion

Chapter Seven  
  
Nothing moved, nothing made a sound, it was as if the earth stood still. Slowly Cam got to his feet; the other Rangers also stood. He shook his head to clear it of the stars that danced in front of him. Cam's heart stopped when he saw Lothor standing above Jasmine's limp form, his uncle's face twisted into a malicious smirk. So it was true, Jasmine had been dying. A single tear ran down Cam's cheek, he glanced at the other Rangers. They too were staring at Jasmine as Lothor reached down to take her amulet. A look was exchanged between the six friends and they morphed quickly.  
  
"Don't touch her." Cam commanded his uncle, who stopped with his hand right above Jasmine's throat.  
  
"And what are you gonna do to stop me?" Lothor grinned wickedly.  
  
"This!" Shane said, leading the Rangers towards Lothor for an attack. The evil ninja deflected their assaults easily. Lothor called down kelzacs, and while the Rangers were busy fighting them off, he knelt down to grab the amulet. He had it in his grasp when a strong hand pried it from his fingers.  
  
"What?" Lothor yelled as he stared into Jasmine's blazing eyes, "You're supposed to be dead!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you Lothor." Jasmine growled as she jumped to her feet, knocking Lothor down in the process, "But that which does not kill you," she placed her hands in front of her, palms facing out towards the ninja, "makes you stronger." A ball of blood red fire flew from her hands. Lothor jumped out the way and the fire only singed the edge of his coat. Fire blazed in Jasmine's eyes, and she growled low in her throat. Lothor stood back up and looked at Jasmine with a menacing stare.  
  
"This is not over." He said and with that disappeared in a flash.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The kelzac that was attacking Cam vanished and he paused mid-kick. He placed his foot back on the ground and looked around. Jasmine stood before him, her face quickly changing from fire red to pale white. She started to shake and sweat and began to fall towards the ground. Cam quickly ran to catch her. She was light and heavy at the same time, and her skin was clammy and frozen. Despite her appearance Cam couldn't help but think how beautiful she was at the moment, especially since he had thought she was dead.  
  
"What just happened Jasmine?" he asked her when her breath had become less ragged.  
  
"I don't...I don't know." Jasmine choked out, "The amulet, I think it had something to do with it." Everyone looked down at the small pendant.  
  
"Rangers you must return to Ninja Ops at once." Sensei's voice sounded around them, "We must make sure Jasmine is alright."  
  
"We'll be right there dad." Cam said, he started to stand while still holding Jasmine in his arms.  
  
"It's okay Cam," Jasmine said, "I can walk."  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked concerned.  
  
"Yeah, I am." Cam placed her on the ground gently and when Jasmine began to sway he picked her back up.  
  
"Maybe after you rest." He said with a smile. The group walked back slowly, careful to keep an eye on Jasmine. Cam couldn't believe how light she felt in his arms and how perfectly she fit, almost like she was made to be held by him. Cam mentally shook the thought from his head. Jasmine and he were from two completely different worlds, no way could they be destined to be together.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jasmine rested her weary head against Cam's chest, listening to his heartbeat. She sighed and closed her eyes, ready to sleep for eternity. Cam's strong arms held her gently and tenderly like she was a treasured jewel. His heart beat steadily and began to lull Jasmine to sleep. She yawned and caught the soft chuckle that Cam released. The teen smiled lightly and let herself drift off to sleep.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"It seems as if Jasmine's medallion has some kind of mystical powers." Sensei said once the group of Rangers had reached Ninja Ops. Jasmine lay asleep in one of the back rooms, and the Power Rangers stood around the computer terminal.  
  
"We kinda guessed that when she blasted Lothor with that fireball." Dustin said, "All I want to know is how come we didn't pick this up earlier, I mean isn't the computer supposed to have some sort of thingy that detects stuff like that."  
  
"No Dustin," Cam replied somewhat exasperated, "We don't have a "thingy" that picks up that kinda stuff, the radar is only able to detect alien activity."  
  
"Oh." Dustin said.  
  
"Now that that's cleared up," Tori broke in, "Where did Jasmine ever find a medallion that has that kinda power?"  
  
"I don't know." Cam said, "I've never even heard of anything like it."  
  
"I suggest that we wait until Jasmine wakes up, and then proceed to answer these questions." Sensei, ever the voice of reason, said.  
  
"Wait a second!" Shane cried, "Sensei, yesterday you said that Jasmine's being here wasn't an accident, that Lothor brought her here for a reason. You guys it's the amulet, that's what Lothor wants!" Realization donned on Cam. Of course, Lothor wanted the medallion Jasmine wore for the power if possessed. But where had the powers come from, and how had Jasmine come to own such a weapon?  
  
~*~*~  
  
Deep, slow breaths resounded through the room, and an occasional soft snore would echo in the room. Cam looked down at Jasmine's sleeping form with a smile. He lovingly brushed the hair out of her face and watched as a pleasant smile spread across her serene face. Blake had been right, Cam did care for Jasmine, but it was because he cared about her that he knew he could never pursue a relationship. Why did things have to be so complicated? Why couldn't Lothor have simply left Jasmine in her own world, why did he have to bring her into Cam's? It all seemed like a plot against him. Make the ninja's nephew fall in love with the girl from another universe and break his heart when he finds out he can't have her. A quiet sigh escaped him, and Cam let his eyes travel across Jasmine's form memorizing every contour of her face and body.  
  
"You alright dude?" Cam looked behind him to where Hunter stood leaning against the doorframe arms crossed in front of him.  
  
"I'm fine." Cam replied, an edge of sadness in his voice, "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Blake told me about your feelings for Jasmine." Hunter responded sheepishly.  
  
"Oh, so now my life's an open book." Cam retorted.  
  
"Jeez man calm down." Hunter said, "Blake thought that you might just need a push in the right direction. I am, after all, the one who FINALLY got him to admit that he liked Tori."  
  
"Whatever Hunter. I don't need your help, I'm perfectly capable of saying what's on my mind without any help from you."  
  
"Yeah, but what about what's going on in your heart." Hunter left with those words hanging in the air in his place. Cam looked back down at Jasmine, his face clouded with the many thoughts running through his head. He took the young woman's hand in his own and slowly traced circles on the back of her hand with his thumb as he contemplated Hunter's words. As much as Cam hated to admit it, the Crimson Ranger had a point. He sat back in his chair with a sigh, Jasmine's hand still encompassed in his own.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Voices sounded in the room, but Jasmine refused to open her eyes to see whom they belonged to. Her ears perked up at the mention of her name. Jasmine listened intently to the conversation that she now recognized Cam and Hunter having. She tried to keep her breathing the same as she listened, but she was certain that they could hear the hammering of her heart as the fact that Cam liked her was revealed.  
It was heaven on earth to Jasmine to hear those words. Was it true that the brainiac had felt the same connection that she herself had felt? Jasmine had never been so lucky in her life. Heavy footsteps walked away from the room and a sigh sounded above her. A warm hand held hers and Jasmine knew it was Cam. She tried to hide the smile that sprung to her lips at his gentle caress. A few minutes passed and the warm hand let go of hers. Jasmine felt her whole body go cold at the lose of the contact. Tender, warm lips kissed her forehead and Cam left the room. The teen sighed contentedly and let herself fall back to sleep.  
  
~*~*~  
  
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I know it was kinda short, and I apologize for that. Anyway please review and tell me what you think so far.  
  
Will Cam tell Jasmine how he feels, or will Jasmine make the first move? What will happen to Jasmine now that the powers of the moon medallion have made themselves known? And what about Kirstin? Stay tuned to A WORLD APART to find out the answers. 


	9. Shopping!

Chapter Eight  
  
A gentle breeze blew through the tops of the trees that surrounded the waterfall. Jasmine stood in the woods, her hands extended in front of her, and three wooden torches ten feet away. Her normally serene face was screwed up in concentration and her eyes held a far away and thoughtful look. With a low growl she sent three small sparks from her hands. They flew a foot then fell to the ground.  
  
"Concentrate Jasmine." Sensei said. He stood on a stump next to the young woman. They had been training for over an hour, and the puny sparks were all that the tired girl could come up with.  
  
"I'm trying Sensei, honestly I am, I just can't seem to get the fire to come like it did this afternoon." Jasmine said with a sigh as she sat beside the rodent.  
  
"Do not give up just yet Jasmine. You will soon learn to harness your abilities." The guinea pig replied comfortingly. Jasmine gave him a small smile and picked at the fallen leaves on the ground beneath her.  
After she had awaken from her nap, Jasmine and Sensei had headed out to the woods to practice with her new powers. Sensei had said it was necessary that Jasmine know how to use them and make sure that the use of them earlier had not been coincidence. The young woman still did now know why the medallion around her neck had caused her to have these powers, and she was uncertain that she even wanted them. The one thing that she was certain of, was that if the powers were real, then she would use them to save Kirstin.  
  
"How's it coming out here?" Cam's voice sounded behind them.  
  
"Not very well." Jasmine said turning to face him.  
  
"Take a break Jasmine, perhaps we have been pushing too hard." Sensei said, "We will try again tomorrow."  
  
"Sure Sensei." Jasmine replied with a small smile as the rodent left. She turned back to Cam who was smiling softly at her. Jasmine took the moment of silence to study the green Samurai's face.  
His eyes held a look that she had never before seen. They stared into hers with a new intensity that wasn't there when she had first met him. They were soft, yet held a sharp intensity that pierced her very soul. It almost seemed like he was trying to read what was going on in her mind, trying to commune with her heart. It was too much for the young woman to take, and Jasmine was forced to look away.  
  
"So, where are the others?" she asked, trying to hide how uncomfortable she was.  
  
"They're inside." Cam replied, his voice almost seemed hurt.  
  
""Well then, I guess that's where we should be." Jasmine began to brush pass Cam when he suddenly grabbed hold of her arm. She looked up at him startled, raw heat coursing through her body. Cam opened his mouth as if to say something then quickly shut it and released her arm. Jasmine looked down at the ground dejected and continued to walk away.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"You STUPID IDIOT!" Cam berated himself once Jasmine had left, "You just let her walk away." He hit his forehead with the palm of his hand repeatedly.  
  
"You keep doing that and you're gonna lose some serious brain cells." Cam turned quickly. Hunter stood behind him with a smirk on his face.  
  
"So now are you ready for my help?" the crimson Thunder Ranger asked.  
  
"I don't need your help." Cam snapped at him.  
  
"From the looks of things, I'd say you do." Hunter walked over to him, "First things first, you gotta loosen up around her. Girls don't like guys who are uptight. Second, don't be afraid to tell her how you feel. That's what's so funny about you, you're not afraid to take on an evil space alien, but you can't talk to a girl. Third,"  
  
"I think I get the general idea." Cam cut him off, "now if you'll excuse me I have to go buy some guinea pig food." Cam hurried past Hunter. He knew that everything the blonde had said was true and that he would have to use the tips that he gave him, but that didn't mean that Cam had to tell him that to his face.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Jasmine fell back on her bed with a sigh. Why had her heart sped up when she was staring into his eyes, why had she had trouble forming a coherent thought? She knew that Cam liked her, but did she truly like him? Her head hurt from all the thoughts running through it.  
  
"You alright Jazz?" Tori asked poking her head into the guest bedroom of the small apartment.  
  
"Just fine." Jasmine replied unconvincingly as she rolled onto her stomach and buried her head in the soft pillow.  
  
"Sounds like you're having boy troubles." Tori sat on the bed beside Jasmine who grunted a reply into the pillow. The blue Ranger laughed and pulled on her friend's arm, "Come on, we're going out for a little girl time to get your mind off whoever this guy is."  
  
~*~*~  
  
The shopping plaza was bustling with people as Jasmine and Tori navigated its many stores. Their arms were loaded down with bags, and their mouths were constantly moving as they talked about everything and anything they could think of.  
  
"Hey Jazz, that hottie over there is TOTALLY checkin' you out." Tori teased as they passed a group of guys their age. A couple of the guys whistled at them and Jasmine rolled her eyes.  
  
"They are SO immature." She said as the group started following them.  
  
"Better ignore them, they might try to start trouble." Tori said with a trace of worry in her voice.  
  
"We can kick their butts." Jasmine said, but still she kept walking and ignored the five following them.  
It took awhile, but the girls finally ditched their 'stalkers' when they slipped into the women's restroom. They stood against the wall laughing at the looks on the five guys when they discovered where the girls were going. Tori poked her head out the door after a couple minutes.  
  
"Alright," she said, " coast clear." With a relieved sigh Jasmine followed Tori out of the bathroom.  
  
"Well we know that they're persistent." Jasmine said with a small chuckle. The two walked to the food court and sat down at an empty table with ice cream cones in hand.  
  
"This has been fun, I'm glad you made me come Tori." Jasmine said with a smile.  
  
"Well that w3as the whole point," Tori replied, "and I'm glad that you're having fun. Now, what do you say to a movie?"  
  
"I say lead the way." They laughed together and headed over to the movie theater.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"So what you need is a whole new wardrobe." Hunter said. The five male Power Rangers stood in the middle of the shopping plaza on a mission. Dustin and Shane had been filled in on Cam's feelings for Jasmine and now the whole group was going to help Cam get the girl.  
  
"What's wrong with my clothes?" Cam looked down at what he was wearing.  
  
"Nothing dude," Dustin said putting a reassuring arm around the green Ranger's shoulders, "We're just gonna find you something more hip and cool."  
  
"Um...you guys, are they supposed to be here?" Shane asked pointing in front of him. The other guys looked where the red Ranger was looking and saw their two female companions coming out of the movie theater.  
  
"We better get out of sight." Hunter said pushing Cam into the nearest store.  
  
"What? Why?" Cam asked.  
  
""Dude it's NOT cool to have a girl thinking that you're following her." hunter said, "Now duck." The Rangers ducked behind a clothes rack just as Jasmine and Tori passed by.  
  
"Coast clear." Blake said looked up and around.  
  
"This is stupid you guys." Cam said, "You do know that they won't think we're following them if they see us right."  
  
"Well we don't want to take any chances." Hunter reasoned with him, "Now we have some serious shopping to do, so let's get started."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Well I FINALLY updated, I hope that you guys liked his chapter. Please don't forget to review. After all, reviews are what keep the chapters coming, so if you like this, even the least bit, you'll review. 


	10. The legend

Chapter Nine  
  
Jasmine lay on the table in Ninja Ops fingering her pendant. She and Tori were waiting for the guys to meet them so they could try and figure out what was up with Jasmine's amulet, but the guys were late.  
  
"Where do you think they are?" Tori asked as she twirled around in the chair that sat in front of the computer.  
  
"I have no clue." Jasmine replied turning over on her stomach and propping her head in her hands, "They better get here soon though."  
  
"I know, and they complain about how we take a long time, they're almost thirty minutes late!" Tori said.  
  
"Men." Jasmine laughed shaking her head.  
  
"What about men?" the two girls looked up at the entrance to Ninja Ops and saw the guys walking down the stairs.  
  
"Just saying how hypocritical they are." Tori said as she continued to spin.  
  
"We're not hypocritical!" Dustin exclaimed, then a blank expression covered his face and he turned to Cam, "What does hypocritical mean?" Cam shook his head with a laugh and simply brushed Dustin's question off. Jasmine watched Cam walk over towards the computer and she couldn't help but remember what had transpired between them in the woods earlier that day. Had Cam forgotten, or was the memory still as fresh in his mind as it was in Jasmine's?  
  
"So where were you guys?" Tori asked Blake.  
  
"Shopping." Blake responded, Hunter 'discreetly' elbowed his brother in the ribs and Blake hurriedly corrected himself, "I mean we were at the track."  
  
"Sure." Tori said casting a look at Jasmine.  
  
"So what did you girls buy?" Jasmine teased.  
  
"Nothing." Cam spoke up; "we couldn't find anything we liked."  
  
"Dude way to stick with the cover story." Hunter accused the green Samurai.  
  
"What's so bad about saying we went to the mall?" Cam asked.  
  
"I find nothing wrong with it." Jasmine said, "I like a guy that's into shopping."  
  
"Oh really." Hunter said giving the pink haired girl a knowing look as Jasmine bit her lip when she realized what she said.  
  
"Um... so I guess we better get to work on this huh?" Jasmine said quickly, trying to cover her slip up.  
  
"Yeah." Cam said. He took the necklace from Jasmine's hands and the two looked at each other for a quick second as their hands brushed each other. Jasmine dropped her hand and her gaze quickly and went back to her seat on the table.  
  
"So what exactly is this supposed to do?" she asked as she settled back down on the table.  
  
"The scanner's gonna tell us if there's any sort of power within the pendant. If there is it I might be able to figure out a way for you to harness it." Cam replied.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Cam placed Jasmine's amulet on the small tripod and let the scanner go over it. He pressed a few buttons on the computer and waited for the results to come up. Nothing. He tried again. And again nothing. He shook his head and cleared it of all thought, focusing on the task at hand. There was nothing abnormal about Jasmine's amulet, well nothing other than the fact that it helped her conjure up fire at will.  
  
"Anything Cam?" Jasmine asked. Cam looked over his shoulder at her and shook his head.  
  
"Nothing." He said. Jasmine hung her head and sighed.  
  
"I guess we'll never know then," she said walking over to take the amulet from the tripod, "I just wish we could figure out how this stupid thing conjured up that fire."  
  
"Wait." Cam said reaching his hand out to stop Jasmine's hand from grabbing the pendant. The contact overwhelmed him, and Cam's body felt like it was on fire. Slowly, he took his hand off of Jasmine's, and the heat left his body.  
  
"What?" Jasmine asked placing the amulet back down.  
  
"Where did you get this necklace?" Cam asked picking up the silver chain and fingering the amulet.  
  
"My grandmother gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday."  
  
"Do you know where your grandmother got it?"  
  
"From her grandmother. The amulet's been in our family for over a hundred years. Each grandmother passes it on to her eldest granddaughter on her sixteenth birthday. Why?"  
  
"Do you have any idea how your ancestors came by the pendant?"  
  
"Um...there's a story about it, but that's all it is, a story."  
  
"Let's hear it."  
  
"Okay, but I don't know how much good it'll do." Jasmine sat down and began to think, "It starts like this. In a tiny village deep in the heart of the Amazon, there was a woman that possessed strange powers. All the others in the village feared her and the powers she possessed. Warring tribes were afraid to attack the small village because they'd heard the stories of the sorceress.  
"One day the woman was down at the river when a young warrior from another tribe ambushed her and captured her. He took her back to his village where everybody thought that he had brought certain destruction upon them. Well he took the sorceress to his hut where he treated her just like he would any guest. Eventually the two of them fell in love and were married by the chief of the tribe. The next year they had a child.  
"Well now the other tribe wanted their sorceress back because they had since fallen under attack. So they launched an attack on the tribe that had taken her. The woman was torn between the tribe that had raised her and the tribe that had taken her in as one of their own. So instead of choosing she fled to the waterfall that was just on the outskirts of the village. There she picked up a stone that reminded her of the crescent moon. She built a large bonfire and placed the stone in the middle of it. Then she stepped into the fire and stood on top of the stone. When the fire died the woman's ashes were absorbed into the stone along with all of her powers.  
"The stone lay there for thirty years until the woman's granddaughter came to visit the site of her grandmother's death. The young girl found the amulet and some strange force drove her to take it. Since then it has been handed down from grandmother to granddaughter." Jasmine glanced up at the six Power Rangers, waiting for them to say something.  
  
"That is some story." Tori said after a long pause.  
  
"It sure is." Shane said.  
  
"I told you guys that it probably wasn't true. It's just something that was made up to make the amulet seem mysterious, that's all." Jasmine said.  
  
"Now hold on." Cam said, "There might be some truth to it. I mean weirder things have happened around here."  
  
"That's for sure dude." Dustin said with a laugh.  
  
"Whatever." Jasmine said as she stood and took the necklace from Cam's hands. She put it back on and sighed as she felt the familiar weight around her neck. The stone was still warm from Cam's touch, and the warmth seeped into Jasmine's body. She reached up and fingered the stone gingerly. What if there was some truth to that story? When Jasmine's grandmother gave it to her, the girl hadn't really believed the old woman. But her grandmother had never lied to her before, so why should the history of the stone be any different? The words that her dying grandmother had said as she passed the amulet on to Jasmine rang clear in the young woman's mind.  
  
~*~Flashback~*~  
  
"I want you to have this Jasmine." Jasmine's grandma said pulling the silver chain, which was usually worn around her pale neck, out from under her pillow.  
  
"But Grandma, this is your necklace." Jasmine protested taking the piece of jewelry from the dying woman's wrinkled and trembling hands.  
  
"Now it's yours Jazz," her grandma replied, "Remember the story I told you, about how this stone came to be in our family?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well the stone still holds those powers that your ancestor once possessed. Only one pure of heart and strong of spirit can call upon the powers when in need of them. Just remember dear that with great power come great responsibility."  
  
~*~End Flashback~*~  
  
Those had been the last words that Jasmine had heard from her grandmother's lips. As the young woman thought back on it now, it was almost as if her grandma knew that Jasmine would be the one to harness the powers of the amulet. But how could she have known? Jasmine continued to finger the stone as she thought, tuning out the world around her.  
  
"Jazz? Jasmine?" The girl looked up at a worried Tori, "What's up, you're crying."  
  
"What?" Jasmine reached up and touched her cheek, feeling the wet tears that were sliding down her face.  
  
"Are you okay?" Tori asked.  
  
"Yeah...I'm fine." Jasmine replied shaking her memories from her head, "I'm just remember what my grandma said when she gave me the necklace." The alarm sounded throughout the room, interrupting anything else that Jasmine was gonna say. The Rangers and their companion turned to look at the screen where Zurgane stood with an army of kelzacs.  
  
"Let's do this." Shane said as the Power Rangers lined up to morph.  
  
"I'm coming with you." Jasmine said standing up quickly.  
  
"No way Jasmine." Cam said looking over his shoulder at her, "You're gonna stay here where it's safe."  
  
"Fat chance." Jasmine snapped. Cam started to say something, but Sensei stopped him.  
  
"She will go Cameron," the guinea pig said raising his paw to stop his son's protests, "It might help Jasmine to call upon her powers."  
  
"Fine, but be careful." Cam said looking at Jasmine's gloating smirk.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Well, I'm not that happy with this chapter, but I'm posting it anyway because I really needed to update this story. I'm sorry if the story that Jasmine told about the origin of the stone didn't make any sense, but I wasn't sure how to write it. Anyway, tell me what y'all thought. 


	11. So close

Chapter Ten  
  
The sun beat down on the hot sand. Jasmine wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead. Shielding her eyes from the sun's rays, she glanced over at Zurgane. The kelzacs danced around him, ready to fight, but the General held them back as he stared the Power Rangers down.  
  
"So you decided to show." His mechanical voice taunted the Rangers.  
  
"Why wouldn't we Zurgane?" Shane asked, not bothering to hide the disdain in his voice.  
  
"After our last encounter I thought you would be smart and stay out of my way." Zurgane said.  
  
"Yeah right." Hunter scoffed, "You don't scare us."  
  
"We shall see about that." Zurgane said, "Kelzacs attack!" The command sent the kelzacs into a frenzy as they raced towards the Power Rangers. Jasmine stepped aside as a kelzac raced at her. She put her leg out and tripped him, causing him to fly forward and land hard on his back. She blocked a punch and delivered a back kick towards another kelzac that tried to attack from behind.  
Jasmine quickly glanced around her to see how the Power Rangers were faring. Cam and Shane were locked in an intense sword fight with Zurgane while the other Rangers were busy with kelzacs. Jasmine ducked as a kelzac swung at her head and delivered a punch to his gut, causing the goon to double over in pain. She looked over to where Cam and Shane had been, but the two men had been separated and Zurgane was no where in sight. Somebody grabbed Jasmine's arm in a bone-breaking grip, and swung her around.  
  
"This time you will not be so lucky as to escape." Zurgane said, wrenching her arm around and pinning it behind her back. Jasmine cried out in pain, causing the Power Rangers to look over at their friend.  
  
"Let her go Zurgane!" Cam demanded as the Rangers lined up before Zurgane, ready to fight.  
  
"I don't think so Ranger." Zurgane said with a humorless laugh, "She's coming with me."  
  
"Fat chance." Jasmine snapped. She could feel the familiar fire filling her body. She closed her eyes tightly using all of her strength to call upon the power that coursed through her veins. A fireball erupted in her hand; burning Zurgane who jumped back as the fire hit his hand. Jasmine spun away from the alien and stood with the Power Rangers.  
  
"Tell Lothor that the powers are mine, and I'll never give them up." She said glaring at Zurgane.  
  
"Have it your way," the alien said, "but you will not like the consequences." With that he vanished, along with the remaining kelzacs.  
  
"What do you think he meant by that?" Jasmine asked worriedly as she stared at the spot where Zurgane had stood.  
  
"It's probably nothing." Tori said placing a comforting arm around Jasmine's shoulders.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Cam paced the floor of Ninja Ops, his footsteps echoing throughout the lair. He worried his lip as he got lost in his own world, oblivious to everything around him. He was worried about Jasmine and what Lothor would do to her if he got his hands on her again. Cam feared that Jasmine would eventually give into the pressure that the space ninja was placing on her. The Samurai knew that she would do anything to keep her sister safe and that could possibly be her downfall.  
  
"Cam? Are you okay?" Jasmine's voice broke through to Cam and he stopped his pacing to look at her, "You look really pale. Are you sick?"  
  
"I'm fine." Cam said, but he didn't feel fine as Jasmine placed her soft hand against his forehead.  
  
"You're burning up." Jasmine breathed as Cam's eyes caught hers. Cam was overwhelmed by how close they stood. Their mouths just inches apart. It was torture of the worst kind.  
  
"I'm fine." Cam repeated dumbly as he became lost in Jasmine' gaze and the feel of her hand on his skin.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked as they slowly inched closer. Cam simply nodded, too dumbfounded to say anything. Jasmine slowly lowered her hand, and he was left wanting to feel her touch again, but he didn't have long to wait. Her hand slowly reached out and gripped his. Cam tilted his head down, and leaned closer so that he could capture her lips with his own. Jasmine's eyes closed and her lips were parted as she struggled to breathe. He was so close to her, he could almost feel her lips on his own.  
  
"There you are Jazz." Tori's voice broke the moment and the two jumped apart with guilty looks on their faces.  
  
"Did I miss something?" Tori asked as she looked from Cam to Jasmine.  
  
"No," Jasmine rushed to say; "we were just discussing some theories on chemistry."  
  
"Right." Cam said quickly with a nod of his head. He glanced down at Jasmine whose cheeks were flushed and whose chest was rising and falling quickly as she fought to control her ragging emotions.  
  
"Okay." Tori said confused before turning to look at Jasmine, "Jazz, I was wondering if you wanted to head down to the track with me. The guys have another race coming up and I was gonna go watch them practice."  
  
"Alright," Jasmine replied, "Um...Cam, why don't we pick up our discussion later. I'm really curious to know what the result would be."  
  
"I'm kinda curious myself," Cam replied with a smile, "How about we pick up later tonight?"  
  
"Sounds good." Jasmine said with a shy smile, "I'll see you later then."  
  
"Yeah." Cam said. Jasmine turned and followed Tori out. His eyes followed her until he couldn't see her anymore.  
Slightly shaken Cam sank down into the chair that sat by the computer terminal. He had been so close, why did Tori have to interrupt them? At least he knew that Jasmine felt the same way about him as he did about her. His mind kept playing the almost kiss over and over. So close, her lips had been so close to his own that he could feel every breath she took. A slow smile spread across his face as he thought about what would be happening later that night, when they would finish what they'd started.  
  
~*~*~  
  
It was short I know but I'm kinda stuck. Anyway, please review. 


	12. Interrupted, again

Chapter Eleven  
  
Jasmine paced the floor in front of her closet. Cam would be there at any moment and she wasn't even dressed! She flung clothes around the room as she searched for the perfect outfit. After going to the racetrack that afternoon, Cam had called asking Jasmine to dinner. She had readily accepted, thus leading to her predicament.  
  
"Whoa, it looks like a bomb went off in here." Tori said dodging a pair of flying pants.  
  
"I just can't find the right thing to wear." Jasmine moaned flopping down on the bed.  
  
"You really like him don't you?" Tori asked sitting down beside the girl.  
  
"Like who?" Jasmine asked with mock innocence. Tori smiled slyly and picked up a black dress that lay on the floor.  
  
"This will look GREAT on you." she said throwing the dress at Jasmine, who caught it in mid-air.  
  
"Thanks Tor." She said.  
  
"No problem," Tori replied, "Just do me a favor."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Knock his socks off."  
  
"Don't worry, I will." Jasmine laughed as Tori winked and left the room.

* * *

Closing his eyes, Cam drew in a deep breath and lifted his hand to knock on the door. Tori answered with a sly smile and ushered him inside the apartment.  
  
"Jazz will be out in a minute." She said.  
  
"Oh...okay." Cam said nervously. He glanced around the neat and orderly apartment, his foot tapping nervously against the floor.  
  
"Tori," Jasmine called from somewhere down the hallway, "I'm borrowing your silver hoops."  
  
"Okay." Tori called back. She glanced over at Cam; "You can sit down you know."  
  
"Oh, well...I'm fine." Cam mumbled. As hard as it was to believe, Cam had never really been on a date before, and he was VERY nervous about that night. Jasmine was unlike any girl he'd ever known. She was special. She was beautiful, but she seemed not to know it. She was smart and Cam felt as if he could discuss things with her that the others wouldn't be able to comprehend. Never before had Cam felt this was about a woman.  
  
"Hey Cam." Cam looked up from his shoes and his breath caught in his throat. Jasmine stood before him, a smile on her face and her eyes sparkling. The black dress she wore clung to her body like a second skin. The plunging neckline teased Cam with hints of flesh, his eyes catching on the medallion around her neck. The hemline stopped just above her knees and showed off her shapely legs. She wore black, strappy heels and her toes were painted the same shade of pink as her hair.  
  
"Well," she said twirling around in front of him, the hem of her dress rising ever so slightly, "what do you think?"  
  
"You look...amazing." He said, fighting to get the words out. A light blush crept up Jasmine's face.  
  
"Thank you." she said.  
  
"Are you ready to go?" he asked, his mind suddenly returning to him.  
  
"Yeah, see ya later Tori." Jasmine said grabbing her coat.  
  
"Bye you guys, have fun." Tori called after them.

* * *

The full moon shone down on the water, its light reflecting off the ocean like a million tiny diamonds. Cam and Jasmine strode down the beach hand in hand, the sand giving way beneath their bare feet. They had just finished with their dinner at a small café and had decided to take a walk. They were quiet, both afraid to break the tranquil silence that had befallen them.  
Jasmine breathed in the salty air, filling her lungs with the freshness of it. Things were so perfect that she could almost forget what had brought her to this world, and the fact that she didn't belong here. Cam's hand was warm around hers, the heat of his skin transferring to her body and warming her. She could feel him watching her and smiled gently.  
  
"I had a great time tonight." She said quietly, glancing over at Cam who looked down at her. Their eyes met and a shiver of delicious anticipation ran down Jazz's spine.  
  
"I did too." Cam replied just as quietly. His hand slowly unraveled from hers and traveled up her arm and neck to finally brush gently against her cheek. His thumb ran along her bottom lip and Jasmine's lips parted instinctively. Cam leaned his head down and his mouth was only inches from her own.  
  
"Oh how romantic." An annoyingly sarcastic and familiar voice said.  
  
"It is isn't it." Replied another voice, this one just as familiar and just as annoying. Jasmine and Cam broke apart and stared at Kapri and Marah.  
  
"What do you airheads want?" Jasmine barked, irked that her first date with Cam, not to mention their almost kiss had been so rudely interrupted.  
  
"Uncle Lothor wants to see you." Kapri snapped with her hands on her hips, glaring at girl.  
  
"Oh really." Jasmine said, "Well then I must go at once." Her sarcasticness was not lost on Kapri.  
  
"See, I told you she would listen to us." Marah said stupidly.  
  
"Shut up." Kapri snapped at her sister, hitting her upside the head.  
  
"Ow!" Marah cried, rubbing her head.  
  
"Are you gonna come on your own," Kapri said, returning her attention to Jazz, "or do we have to make you?" A look passed between Cam and Jasmine and they sprang into action.

* * *

Okay, so it wasn't the best chapter, but I realized I hadn't updated in like forever and I wanted to get another chapter out for all of you who have been waiting for this update. Please review and tell me what you think. I probably won't be updating this story very often because I want to focus on some other stories that I've been neglecting and some stories that I want to start. I've been losing interest in my Power Ranger's fan fics, so I don't know if, after this chapter, I'll be updating at all. Just wanted to fill you all in on that and I hope that you will review. 


	13. Rescue Party

I am so sorry that it took me this long to update. I was stuck on where to take this story and then inspiration hit me. I hope you all will forgive me. This chapter is probably going to be one of the last ones. The story has basically run the course that I want it to run and I think that I will be wrapping it up within the next chapter.

Chapter Twelve

An iron coldness filled Kirstin. She shuddered and rubbed her arms with her hands, hoping that the friction would warm her. It didn't. The coldness was inside her, filling every inch of her body. It seeped into her bones, under her skin, and into her soul. A tear slipped down her cheek and she wished that her sister were there to comfort her and tell her it would be okay.

Kirstin didn't know what had happened. One minute she was sitting in her room arguing with Jazz about watching TV, and the next she was in this strange world with weird looking aliens and Power Rangers. It used to be her dream to be in the same world as the Power Rangers, but not anymore, not after being held a prisoner in Lothor's ship. Kelzacs looked funny and humorous on television, but in real life they were nightmarish and scary. Lothor used to make her laugh, now he frightened her with his evilness. What Kirstin wouldn't give to be back home and fighting with Jasmine right then.

Someone was approaching her cell and Kirstin trembled. She curled up in the corner and prayed that she would wake up then and have it all be a nightmare.

* * *

Jasmine ducked under Marah's arm, dodging a punch. She kicked the other woman in the back, sending her face first in the sand. Marah stood, spitting sand out of her mouth, and rounded on Jasmine. She grabbed Jazz's arm and pulled her forward. Her eyes shifted towards Kapri and Cam, then back to Jasmine, who was trying to release herself from the surprisingly hard grip on her wrist.

"She's okay." She said.

"What are you talking 'bout?" Jasmine spat at her.

"Kirstin," Marah said, pulling Jazz towards her again, "Kirstin's okay." Jasmine stopped struggling and looked at the young woman shocked.

"How do you…" she started, staring at Marah, her eyes wide and tears threatening to spill over. "Why are you…"

"She's locked two cells down from where Uncle held you." Marah continued to whisper. If she was going to help Jasmine she had to hurry, Kapri was getting her butt kicked and it wouldn't be long before they retreated. "Uncle has three kelzacs guarding her." She looked over at Kapri, who caught her eye and nodded, Marah quickly threw Jazz on the ground and teleported back to the ship. She had done what she could. The rest was up to Jasmine and the Rangers.

* * *

Cam walked over to Jasmine, who lay on the sand with a dazed look in her eyes, and held out a hand to her. She took it and he helped her stand.

"What was that about?" he said, looking over at the spot Marah had just teleported from. He looked over at Jazz worriedly when she didn't answer. Her eyes were glossed over, and she was mouthing something to herself, as if to recall something to memory.

"Jazz, are you okay?" he asked. Cam had to admit, he was a bit scared by the way she looked.

"We have to get back to Ninja Ops," she said, looking at him with urgency. Cam nodded and took her hand in his.

* * *

"Are you sure we can trust what Marah says?" Tori asked once Jasmine was finished telling the Rangers what she had been told.

"I'm not sure." Jazz shook her head, "I hope we can, because…because I'm going up there and getting my sister back." She looked each of the Rangers in the eye, daring them to stop her.

"You can't do this Jazz," Dustin stepped forward, "not alone at least. I'm coming with you."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Cam said shaking his head, "but I'm coming too."

"Me too," Tori piped up.

"Us too." Shane, Hunter, and Blake said.

"You guys, I appreicate this, really I do, but I have to do this myself." Jasmine said shaking her head.

"It's too dangerous Jasmine," Cam said, "At least let one of us go with you." Jasmine sighed and hung her head.

"Alright," she said after a moment of thinking, "I'll take Tori with me. After all, she knows the lay out of cells and everything from when she went to get me." Cam nodded.

"I'll start getting the teleportation system ready." he said.

* * *

Jazz sat in the woods meditating. She was going to need her wits about her if she was going to save Kirstin. Cam was still preparing the teleport system, leaving the young woman a few moments to herself. Jasmine didn't want anybody coming with her, not even Tori, but the Rangers had insisted at least one of them accompany her.

Her eyes snapped open as the sound of a twig breaking sounded somewhere behind her. Jazz remained still, pretending not to hear as what ever had caused the sound approached.

"Mind if I join you?" Tori's voice sounded above her. Jasmine looked up and smiled.

"Pull up some leaves." She said. Tori grinned and sat beside her.

"So," the blue Ranger said turning serious, "are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Jasmine nodded solemnly. "I just want to get her back."

Tori draped an arm around Jazz's shoulders.

"Don't worry," she said, "we'll get her back."

* * *

"Alright," Cam said, "remember, you go get Kirstin then teleport back immediately. No trying to fight Lothor or free the other ninjas, you got that?" He looked pointedly at Tori.

"We got it Cam." Tori replied with a roll of her eyes. Jasmine hid a smile behind her hand. Cam looked at her.

"Don't worry," she said, lowering her hand and smiling at him, "we'll be fine." She hugged him and kissed his cheek lightly. "Be good while we're gone." She added with a smirk.

"Ready?" She looked at Tori. Her friend nodded and they stepped back from the guys.

"Let's do this." Jasmine touched a button on the teleporter and the two vanished from Ninja Ops.

* * *

Short chapter I know, sorry. The next chapter will be longer since I think it will be the last one. Anyways, please review and tell me what you thought. 


	14. And So It Ends

Chapter Thirteen

Eyelids heavy, Kirstin tried to stay awake. She couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep. Who knows what horrors would be unleashed upon her as she slept? There was no way she was going to chance finding out.

There was a noise outside of her cell, something hit the floor with a thud. Startled, she turned from the wall where she had been sitting and tried to see in the gloom beyond her cell. Footsteps approached.

"Who…who's there?" She called, trying to sound brave.

"It's me Kirstin." Jasmine's face appeared between the bars of the cell.

"Jazzy," the young girl cried, flinging herself towards her sister. "How did you-"

"Shh," Jazz put a finger to her lips, "we're here to get you out."

"Who's we?" A blonde girl stepped forward. Kirstin's eyes widened in recognition. "You're Tori." She breathed in wonder. The blonde smiled at her.

"It's nice to meet you Kirstin," she said. Too astounded, Kirstin couldn't speak.

"If the pleasantries are over, can we please get my sister out of here?" Jazz said, clearly agitated.

"Oh yeah," Tori snapped back to situation at hand, "just press that button right there." She said to Jasmine, pointing to something on the other woman's wrist.

"Okay," Jasmine nodded her head then looked at Kirstin, "step back."

Quickly, Kirstin stepped back towards the wall, watching her sister as she placed something up against the lock to the cell. There was a clicking noise, and the door swung open. With a wide grin, Kirstin ran forward through the open door and embraced her sister.

"I knew you'd save me." She said, wrapped in her sister's arms. Jasmine gripped her arm, pulling her away gently.

"We have to go," Jasmine said, glancing around, "this was too easy."

An evil laugh split through the gloom.

"You are smarter than I gave you credit for." Lothor stepped forward, kelzacs surrounding him.

* * *

Jazz stepped into a fighting position, pushing her sister behind her and Tori, who was also ready for a fight.

"Get us outta here Jazz," Tori said, glancing from Lothor to Jasmine. Jazz nodded quickly and looked back at Kirstin.

"Grab a hold of me," she commanded her sister. Kirstin quickly grabbed onto the back of Jasmine's shirt. Tori stepped closer to her side, placing a hand on Jasmine's arm as the young woman pressed the teleport button. Nothing happened.

"It's not working." Jasmine looked at Tori, panicked.

"What?" Tori was just as panicked. Lothor laughed evilly.

"Get them." He commanded the kelzacs. Quickly, Jasmine stripped the teleporter

From her wrist and tossed it to Tori, who caught it easily.

"Get it working," she commanded, "I'll hold them off." She reached up one hand and gripped her medallion. Closing her eyes tightly, she lifted her other hand and called upon the fire that resided deep inside her.

A giant fireball flew through the hall, sending kelzacs flying to the ground.

"You little…Zurgane, get them." Lothor was seething, anger rolling off him in a thick wave. The general stepped forward, advancing on the three girls with sword drawn.

"Got it!" Tori cried. Jasmine's eyes snapped open. She grabbed a hold of Tori's arm. There was a blinding light, which left stars dancing in Jasmine's eyes. Lothor's howl of rage resounded in her ears, rattling her eardrums. The world spun around her, making Jazz dizzy. She closed her eyes, concentrating on keeping what little food she had eaten that day down. Finally, it all stopped.

Firm earth settled beneath Jasmine's feet and the world stood still. Slowly, she opened her eyes, staring at the barren landscape around her. The three girls stood in the middle of a valley that was surrounded by a series of large cliffs. Everywhere Jasmine looked she saw dirt, nothing but dirt.

"Tori," she said slowly, fighting for control of her emotions, "where are we?"

"I…I don't know." Tori looked down at the transporter, confused. "I have no clue what went wrong. Cam said this was programmed to take us to Lothor's ship and then back to Ninja Ops.

"Something must have happened when it jammed." Kirstin said from behind Jasmine. The two older girls turned as one to look at her.

"Obviously _something_ happened," Jasmine said testily, "but _what_?" Kirstin shrugged.

"How am I supposed to know, _you're_ supposed to be the genius." She replied. Jazz rolled her eyes. Little sisters.

"It's okay," Tori said, sensing trouble, "I'll just call Cam and see if he can't get a lock on where we are. The guys will just come out and pick us up, it's gonna be fine." Tori grew silent as she tried to contact Ops.

"Cam…Cam can you hear me?" There was a crackling sound.

"Tori….you….right? Where…you?" Cam's voice could barely be heard.

"There's some kind of interference." Tori shook her head, "It's got to be these cliffs." She looked around, at the cliffs that towered above them. "I can't pick up a clear signal."

"We'll have to climb them." Jasmine said.

"Are you _crazy_?" Kirstin cried, "That's suicide. How are we supposed to climb those without equipment or anything?"

"Kirstin, calm down," Jasmine gripped her sister's shoulders and shook her slightly. "It's going to be okay. We can do this. Just remember all those times we went rock climbing with Aunt Mandy. You were a natural at it, remember? It's not any different this time."

"Yes it is Jazz," Kirstin cried, "it is totally different. This is free climbing, I've only done rock-_wall _climbing."

"Tori and I will help you." Jasmine assured her, ducking down to look her sister in the eye, "we won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

Kirstin's chin trembled slightly as she nodded her head.

* * *

"Where are they man, they should have been back by now." Blake shook his head as he paced the floor. "Do you think something happened? What if Lothor got 'em."

"They have the teleporter, they'll be fine." Cam said, not at all believing his words. Jasmine and Tori should have been back a long time ago. It was now an hour since they had left.

He sat at the computer terminal and typed in a few keys.

"What are you doing?" Dustin asked, coming over and leaning over Cam's shoulder to watch.

"I'm going to see if I can get a lock on Tori's morpher." Cam said, glancing up at the yellow Ranger. He pressed a few keys. Nothing.

"That's strange." he muttered as he pressed yet more keys.

"What's strange, dude tell me that they are alright." Blake was in full freak-out mode. His pacing was frenzied and his hands continually rubbed through his already mussed hair.

"If, _if_ they ran into trouble, Jazz and Tori can more than take care of themselves." Cam said, trying to reassure himself more than Blake. "Tori's got her morpher and Jazz has her medallion, they can handle themselves."

"You keep saying that bro," Shane said, "but that doesn't make us feel any better."

"Well I'm sorry okay." Cam cried, frustrated, "I'm doing the best I can to locate them. There's only so much I can do."

He placed his head in his hands and drew in a deep breath. This was not the time to jump on his friends. He needed to calm down, focus, and find the girls.

"Dude, we're sorry." Hunter apologized, even though he hadn't said anything.

"It's not your fault." Cam shook his head and refocused his attention on the computer. "It's nobody's fault but mine. I should have done a test run on the transporter. I should have known that it wasn't ready to handle more than two people."

"Stop beating yourself up bro." Shane placed a hand on the Samurai's shoulder. "Let's just focus. We'll go out and see if we can't find them, you keep trying to locate Tori's signal. We'll find them."

"I sure hope so." Cam said quietly as the four other Rangers ran out of Ninja Ops. Cam sighed and closed his eyes.

"Where are you Jazz?" He whispered, "Where could you be?"

* * *

"That's it Kirstin." Jasmine called up encouragements to her sister as the three continued to climb. Tori led the climb, followed by Kirstin, and Jazz brought up the rear. They climbed carefully, making sure not to hit loose rock or dirt. Occasionally though, someone's foot would hit a clod of dirt, losing their footing for a second before righting themselves and continuing on.

It was slow going, but, finally, they were nearly to the top.

Jasmine reached up, wrapping her hand around a secure rock before pulling herself up. Sweat fell off her in streams. It rolled down her back, causing her shirt to stick uncomfortably. Falling into her eyes it would blind her momentarily, then, she would have to wipe her eyes with her arm, which only caused the burning in her eyes to increase as dirt joined the sweat.

"I'm up." Tori called. Jasmine grimaced and pulled herself up another step. Her arms screamed with protest and her legs were quickly growing to jelly. There was basically nothing left in her, her strength was almost nonexistent.

"I'm up." Kirstin cried, her voice filled with weariness. Bracing herself, Jasmine made the final move. A hand gripped her arm and pulled her up. She collapsed on top of soft grass. The scent of the earth filled her nose as she breathed in deeply.

"We made it." She said, voice hoarse.

"Just barely." Jasmine started at the voice.

"Oh no." She muttered, too weak to really say much more. "Please be kidding me." She turned over onto her back and stared up right into Lothor's face.

* * *

A sudden beep caught Cam's attention. He turned from his work on finding Tori's morpher to another screen, the one that detected an alien's presence. He brought up the image on the screen. Lothor was there, an evil gleam in his eye and a triumphant sneer on his face. Zurgan flanked the evil ninja, as well as Chubo, Marah, Kapri, and an army of kelzacs. They stood around three figures, three very familiar figures.

"I've got 'em you guys." Cam said hurriedly into his com unit.

"Where?" Blake's voice replied.

"They're at Devil's Domain." Cam said, "And Lothor's with them."

"We'll be right there." Blake said.

"See ya guys in a few." Cam stood quickly and morphed.

* * *

Lothor pulled Jasmine to her feet. She slumped forward, barely able to stand. Mustering up her strength, Jasmine forced her legs to stop shaking. She would not appear weak in front of Lothor if it was the last thing she did. Tori struggled to her feet as well, followed slowly by Kirstin.

_Good,_ Jasmine thought, _we're all in this together._

"It was very nice of you all to weaken yourselves before I killed you." Lothor sneered. Jasmine glared at him.

"Are you really so despicable that you would beat up girls?" She asked sarcastically. Lothor appeared thoughtful for a second, tapping his chin with one finger.

"Yes." He grinned evilly. "Get them." He commanded the kelzacs.

"Not again." Tori muttered from beside Jasmine. The two looked at each other, nodding.

"Thunder storm, ninja form. Ha!" Tori cried, morphing into the blue Wind Ranger.

Jasmine gripped her medallion tightly in her hand. She focused all her energy on the kelzacs that were quickly approaching. The familiar fire spread through her body, accumulating in her fingers.

"Ha!" She cried, sending a stream of white hot fire at the kelzacs. They disappeared as soon the flames hit them.

"Whoa." Kirstin's awed voice sounded behind Jasmine. She paid no attention to her sister, focusing instead on defeating the heavy stream of kelzacs that continued to rush at her.

Not far from Jasmine, Tori was locked in combat with Zurgane. The alien general slashed at her with his sword. Tori easily blocked his sword with her own saber, pushing his blade up and away from her. Two kelzacs came up behind the blue Ranger, grabbing her arms before Tori could do anything. Zurgane advanced on her, slashing her right across the chest. Sparks flew, and smoke wafted up into the clear blue sky. The blue Ranger fell backwards, dangerously close to the edge of the cliff.

Jasmine tried to reach her friend, but Kapri blocked her way.

"Going somewhere?" The dimwitted girl asked. Jasmine didn't grace her with a reply. Instead, she sent a stream of fire at the girl's hair. Kapri screamed, jumping out of the way.

"You creep!" She cried, looking down at the singed edge of one of her braids. "You're going to pay for that." She launched herself at Jasmine.

Jazz gripped Kapri's arm just as Kapri was about to punch her and used the girl's momentum against her. Lothor's niece went flying over Jasmine's head and landed on hard on her back.

Quickly, Jasmine raced towards Tori. Zurgane had her balancing just on the edge of the cliff now. The Wind Ranger was fighting hard to stay on the cliff, but she was quickly being bested. Zurgane laughed as Tori's foot slipped. Tori's arms flailed for a second as she regained her footing. Her heels hung off the overhang, and she was ready to fall at any moment. Jasmine fought through a batch of kelzacs, trying desperately to reach her friend before she fell to her death.

"Jazzy!" Kirstin's cry caught Jasmine's attention. She turned. A kelzac held her tightly, keeping one of Kirstin's arms twisted painfully behind her back.

"Jazz!" Tori cried as her foot slipped once more. Jasmine was torn, where did she go, who did she help? If only her grandmother had never given her that stupid medallion, she wouldn't be in this mess.

Seeing her predicament, Lothor advanced.

"What are you going to do now Jasmine?" He asked, "Both your sister and your friend are in trouble, what do you do? Either way one of them is going to die." His evil laugh was cut off by a howl of pain. Five figures leaped into the fight. One going for Tori, one for Kirstin, two to fight kelzacs, and one in front of Jasmine, putting a shield between her and Lothor.

"You alright Jazz?" Cam asked, looking at her over his shoulder.

"I'm fine now." She smiled. He nodded quickly and turned his attention back on Lothor.

"This is over Lothor," he said, pointing his saber at the evil ninja's chest, "leave now or suffer the consequences."

"Oh I'm so scared." Lothor mocked.

"You should be freak." Kirstin said, stepping next to Jasmine as Shane stood beside Cam. "The Power Rangers are going to kick your butt." Jasmine smiled down at her sister, ruffling the girl's hair fondly. Kirstin smiled back at her big sister. Tori and Blake joined them, followed by Dustin and Hunter.

The kelzacs were finished, none were left standing. Marah and Kapri took their rightful place beside their uncle, along with Chubo and Zurgane.

"You're outnumbered Lothor." Jasmine said, stepping into the line of Rangers. The space ninja's eyes narrowed as he took in the Rangers and Jasmine, all ready to fight should they need to.

"This isn't over Rangers." He seethed before he and his minions disappeared.

* * *

Back in Ninja Ops, the Rangers, Jasmine, and Kirstin celebrated their day's victory over Lothor. It had been a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Standing away from the group, Jasmine watched with a smile as her sister interacted with the Power Rangers. An arm snaked around her waist. She looked at Cam, her smile growing wider as she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You two aren't that different." Cam said, shaking his head as he watched Kirstin.

"No," Jazz agreed, "no we're not." She looked up at Cam. "You know what, we never got to test that chemistry theory of ours."

A silly grin split Cam's face as they slowly inched towards each other. A thrill went through Jasmine's spine as she felt Cam's breath on her lips. She closed her eyes in anticipation.

A shrill beep split the air. Jasmine groaned, pulling away from Cam.

"Not again." she muttered. The samurai chuckled and kissed her on the cheek.

"What's happening Cam?" Hunter asked as the group gathered around the computer terminal. Cam sat in front of the screen, pressing a button to bring up the city's surveillance.

"I don't know," he replied as he searched the screen. "I don't see anything."

"Wait," Kirstin pointed to the upper left corner, "what's that?"

"The portal," Dustin cried, "it's still open."

"That's great!" Kirstin exclaimed, "That means we can go home Jazz."

"Yeah," Jasmine replied, not at all sharing her sister's excitement, "yeah, it does."

* * *

Standing in the park, Jasmine looked up at the swirling sphere that was her way home. She didn't want to go though, she wanted to stay right where she was with the Power Rangers, with Cam.

"I guess this is good-bye then." Tori said, coming to stand next to Jasmine.

"I guess so," Jazz replied, not looking at the blonde. She couldn't bear to look at any of them, too afraid that she would break out into tears if she did.

"You ready Jazz?" Kirstin asked, coming to join her sister and Tori. The other Rangers following behind her. Cam stood next to Jasmine, his hand reaching over to encompass hers.

Too overcome by emotions, Jasmine simply nodded.

"We're gonna miss you girl." Dustin said, wrapping Jasmine in a tight hug.

"It's been fun." Hunter said, hugging her once Dustin was done.

"We won't forget you." Shane promised.

"So don't you forget _us_." Blake looked at her sharply, making a small laugh bubble up in Jasmine.

"I won't," she promised, wrapping Blake in a tight hug.

"I'm going to miss having another girl around." Tori said, her voice tight from holding back tears. The two girls hugged. Pulling away, Jasmine turned to face Cam. Up until then she had been able to hold back the tears that were pricking at the back of her eyes, but, looking at him, it was so hard to control herself.

"I'm sorry we never got to finish our date." Cam said, his own eyes slightly watery. Jasmine bit her lip as she nodded her head.

"I am too." She said. She pulled him to her and hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go. "I'm going to miss you most." She whispered. Cam kissed the corner of her mouth lightly.

"I'm going to miss you too." He whispered.

"Oh how sweet." Lothor's mocking voice floated through the air. All eight turned to look at him.

"What do you want Lothor?" Hunter asked as the Rangers moved into fighting position.

"Oh I just hate good-byes so much I thought I'd keep them from happening." Lothor said. He lifted a hand, sending bolts of energy into the middle of the portal.

There was a loud roar and the ground shook beneath Jasmine's feet. She looked back at the portal. It was closing! Strong winds began to whip over the earth, and lightening split through the sky followed by bone jarring thunder.

"Jazz, we have to go now." Kirstin yelled to be heard over the thunder. Jasmine looked to Cam, panicked.

"Go," he shouted, "we'll hold him off."

"Kelzacs, get them." Lothor screamed, "Don't let her get away."

"Jazz come on." Kirstin tugged at her sister's hand, but Jasmine remained where she was, her eyes locked with Cam's.

"You go first, Kirstin." She ordered the younger girl, "I'll be right behind you."

"You promise?" Jasmine looked at her sister. There were tears in the younger girl's eyes as she looked at Jazz.

"I promise." Jasmine reassured her. Kirstin nodded and ran towards the portal. As she reached it, she jumped, allowing the kinetic energy to suck her through to the other side.

Certain that her sister was safely through, Jasmine turned back to Cam. The other Rangers were busy fighting off the kelzacs, but Cam remained by her side, his hand still wrapped tightly around her own.

"I don't want to go." Jazz cried, tears streaming down her face.

"You have to Jazz," Cam shouted, "you don't belong in this world."

"I belong wherever you are." She cried, "I love you Cam." His lips captured hers in a passionate kiss, one that sent shivers all the way down to her toes. Pulling away, he released her hand and pushed her towards the portal.

"Go!" He shouted, "Go before it's too late." With one last look, Jasmine ran through the portal just as it was closing.

* * *

Don't you just hate sad endings? Well, have no fear there is still an epilogue to come. Yippee! 


	15. Epilogue

Well folks, here it is, the final chapter of A World Apart. I would like to thank everybody who reviewed this story and waited so patiently for me to update. You guys all rock!

Epilogue

A few weeks after Jasmine's leaving, the Power Rangers engaged in their final battle with Lothor. They lost their Ranger powers, but defeated the space ninja by combining their Ninja powers together to send him into the Abyss of Evil for the rest of time.

Time passed slowly and they all parted ways. Hunter became the new Sensei at the Thunder Academy, while Dustin, Shane, Tori, and Cam became teachers at the Wind Ninja Academy. Blake was signed to a sponsorship and became a professional Motocross rider.

Relationships were formed and grew. Blake asked Tori to marry him, and she said yes. Dustin and Marah finally found each other, this time without Marah using Dustin to prove a point. Shane and Kapri, though odd as it may seem, became close through Marah and Kapri's time studying at the Wind Academy, and fell in love. Hunter fell in love with one of his students, a young woman who showed considerable promise in the Thunder style.

Cam remained alone. His thoughts forever circling around Jasmine. He loved her deeply and knew that to find someone new would be, in his mind, an unforgivable sin. For years he tried desperately to figure out a way to see her again, but to no avail. Throwing all his energy into teaching his students, Cam forced himself to forget her. But he never could.

Meanwhile, Jasmine graduated high school and attended Yale on an almost full scholarship. She majored in business and, after graduation, began to work on opening her own sports store.

She and Kirstin grew closer as sisters. No longer did they fight and, after their mother gained custody of them during Jasmine's senior year in high school, they became a close knit family. Jasmine looked forward to visits home during her college days.

For years she didn't date. Instead, choosing to focus on her studies and later on her business, which had begun to gain much recognition among the extreme sport circuit. Then, one day, a man walked into her store.

His name was Jake and he reminded Jazz of Cam in so many ways. A bookish man with an interest in karate, Jake began to pay close attention to Jasmine. He flirted with her shamelessly, but she barely returned his flirtations, too caught up in fact that she was still in love with Cam. Jake was the chief accountant on Jasmine's board of advisors for her business and, whenever there was a meeting, he would always ask her out for coffee afterwards. And, every time, she would say "maybe next time." It went on that way for two years until, finally, she broke down.

Now don't get the wrong impression of Jasmine, she was in love with Cam, but what she had figured out was that there was no way she could ever see him again. She couldn't throw her life away for a man that, no matter how much she loved him, she would never see again in her life. Jasmine just wasn't the type to live in a dream world.

More time passed. After a year or two of dating, Jake popped the question, and Jazz agreed to marry him.

The day of her wedding dawned, and she spent all that morning crying over the fact that it could have been Cam that she saw on the other side of the aisle. Then she remembered, Cam was no longer a part of her life. She could not mourn what never could have been. So, after wiping her eyes, she donned her wedding dress, walked the aisle, and said her vows to the man that she had come to love almost as much as Cam.

It wasn't long until the couple were expecting their first child, a girl, Tori. And she lived up to her name. A tomboy from birth she kept Jazz on her feet, running after the screaming toddler, kissing booboos, and constantly mending torn clothes.

Jasmine's business was doing well, she had had a couple of offers on it. Some had wanted to buy it out right from her, while others wanted to franchise the store. But she declined them all. This store was too precious to her, it was her baby, her one hold on what had once happened.

Jake and Jasmine had more children, a set of twins- a boy and a girl. The family moved into a larger house. Jasmine expanded her store, Jake got a big promotion and became VP of the accounting firm he worked for. They did well for themselves. Their children never went without what they needed.

But, no matter what happened in her life, Jasmine always remembered what had happened that one night when she was sucked through the television. She never told anybody, only she and Kirstin knew it all. She held it tucked close to her, hiding it from the world. It was her own little secret. Always, on the anniversary of that day, she spent a few moments simply reflecting on everything that she had learned, on everybody she had met and who had come to mean so much to her.

She grew to be an old woman, living long enough to see her great grandchildren born. Then on the sixty-eighth anniversary of that day, at the age of eighty-five, Jasmine died.

She never got to learn what happened to Cam, whether or not he had found somebody to love like she had, she never knew if he followed his dreams. She never got to see him again. But, even though she never saw him, Jasmine knew that Cam was, and always had been, right beside her through everything. She felt his presence in her heart until the very end.

After all, true love can span even worlds.

THE END


End file.
